France Fraudulant history?

[Chris Boonzaier]

Did this guy just hang every possible WW2 medal on? French, British, Polish etc. etc....

Or is he kosher :-)

Et voici un l?gionnaire ("l'incr?vable" comme lui-m?me s'appelle) qui a particip? ? toutes les guerres (ou presque). A notre connaissance il habite encore en Belgique et il est toujours vivant, il doit en avoir plus de 90 ans.La couverture du livre de ses m?moires a ?t? modifi? ?tant donn? que l'ancienne ?tait tr?s d?t?rior?e. Cette image et les infos nous ont ?t? envoy?es par notre ami ANGOT un belge ancien l?gionnaire. Plus de 45 m?dailles et des citations ? gogo! Bravo camarade!

Mittenaere a particip? aux combats suivants :

Bjervik ( Norv?ge ) 13-05-40

Narvik ( Norv?ge ) 28-05-40

Keren ( Erythr?e ) 27-03-41

Massoua (Erythr?e ) 07-04-41

Damas ( Syrie ) 07-06-41

Bir Hackheim ( Lybie ) 17-05-42

El Alamein ( Lybie ) 22-10-42

Himelmat ( Lybie ) 23-10-42

Tobrook ( Lybie ) 28-10-42

Bizerte ( Tunisie ) 04-05-43

Tunis ( Tunisie ) 07-05-43

Djebel-Garci ( Tunisie ) 09-05-43

Ponte Corvo ( Italie ) 12-05-44

Monte Fencio ( Italie ) 19-05-44

Tivoly ( Italie ) 25-05-44

Rome ( Italie ) 04-06-44

Radicofani ( Italie ) 18-06-44

Toulon ( France ) 22-08-44

Lyon ( France ) 01-09-44

Autun ( France ) 08-09-44

Dijon ( France ) 13-09-44

Remouchamps ( France ) 26-10-44

C?te 1013 ( France ) 05-11-44

Belfort ( France ) 21-11-44

Ballon d?Alsace ( France ) 04-12-44

Abenheim ( Alsace ) 11-01-45

Ilhausern ( Alsace ) 23-01-45

Bless? le 10-06-42 ? Bir Hackheim ( Lybie )

Bless? le 18-06-44 ? Radicofani ( Italie )

Bless? le 05-11-44 au Ballon d?Alsace

Bless? le 23-01-45 ? Ilhausern ( Alsace )

Obtention des Certificats de Bonne Conduite suivants :

C.B.C. du Lieutenant-Colonel Saint Hillier, Commandant la 13?me D.B.L.E. en date du 28-06-45

C.B.C. du Lieutenant-Colonel Bablon, Commandant la 13?me D.B.L.E. en date du 29-01-46

C.B.C. du Colonel Puvis de Chavannes, Commandant le d?p?t communs des R?giments Etrangers en date du

24-04-46

C.B.C. du Colonel Brothier, Commandant le 1er R?giment Etranger en date du 30-09-60

Dipl?me d?Honneur personnel du G?n?ral de Gaulle, pour services rendus ? la France de 1940 ? 1945 en date du

01-09-45

Dipl?me de remerciement du G?n?ral de Gaulle pour l?aide prodigu?e aux volontaires des Forces Fran?aises

Libres en date du 15-01-46

MEDAILLES MITTENAERE

Chevalier de la L?gion d?Honneur par d?cret du 18/12/63 enregistr? sous le n? L.H.E. 63

M?daille Militaire ? titre exceptionnel par d?cret du 26/4/45 J.O. du 20/05/45

Citation ? l?ordre de l?Arm?e par d?cret du 26/04/45 j ;o ; du 25/05/45

Citation ? l?Ordre de la Division - Extrait de L.O.G. n? 260 de la 1?re D.F.F.L. du 11/12/44

Citation ? l?Ordre de la Division - Extrait de L.O.G. n?73 de la 1?re D.F.F.L. du 20/06/43

Citation ? l?Ordre de la Brigade O.G. n?5540/1 du 22/03/44 des F.F.L.

Citation ? l?Ordre de la Brigade O.G. n?108 de la 1?re D.F.F.L. du 19/07/44

M?daille de la R?sistance avec rosette par d?cret du 24/04/46 du J.O. du 17/05/46M?daille du Combattant Volontaire de la R?sistance Fran?aise, d?cret du 21/03/50 n? 500035 de la Carte

Croix du Combattant volontaire Brevet n? 2203 du 30/11/56

M?daille Comm?morative des services volontaires dans la France Libre Brevet n? 14946 du 16/11/48

M?daille Comm?morative Fran?aise de la Guerre 1939-1945 par d?cret du 21/05/46, brevet du 07/04/59

M?daille Comm?morative de la Campagne d?Italie par d?cret n? 53.1009 du 10/10/53

M?daille Comm?morative de Syrie-C?licie, agrafe ? Levant brevet n? 549.026 du 21/07/60

Croix du Combattant par d?cret n? 562.769 de la Carte en date du 04/02/52

M?daille des Engag?s Volontaires par brevet du Ministre de la D?fense Nationale du 07/04/59

M?daille de la Guerre de Norv?ge par brevet du 13/05/60

M?daille de participation de Norv?ge par brevet du 13/05/50

M?daille Coloniale avec agrafe ? Erythr?e - Lybie - Bir Hackeim - Tunisie ? par d?cret du 26/03/42

M?dailles des bless?s du 27/03/41 par note n? 86/503 G.D.N. du23/10/43

M?daille du M?rite Syrien en date du 07/06/41 ? Damas- Syrie

Chevalier du M?rite Combattant par d?cret du 02/11/61, brevet du 06/11/61

Chevalier du Ouissam Alou?te Ch?rifien de 5?me classe, brevet n? 15880 du 12/09/46

Chevalier du M?rite Libanais de 4?me classe par brevet du 09/07/41

Officier de 3?me classe du Nichan Ifthikar, brevet n? 2464 du 03/01/45 ? Tunis

M?daille d?Argent du M?rite Civique Fran?ais n? 10480 A. en date du 12/10/63

M?daille Comm?morative ? Rhin et Danube ? Fran?ais remise par l?H?tel de Ville d?Obernai le 28/11/65

M?daille ? The France and Germany Star ? par brevet du 10/11/47

M?daille ? The Italy Star ? par brevet du 18/08/47

M?daille ? The Africa Star ? par brevet du 09/08/47

M?daille ? The Campaign Star ?1939-1945 ? par brevet du 20/11/47

Atlantic Star 1939-1945 en date du 01/03/57, annexe n? 8

Air Crew Star 1939-1945 en date du 01/03/57, annexe n?8

D?fense M?daille Anglaise n? 4245 en date du 10/06/55

Officier de l?Ordre National de Gr?ce enn date du 14/07/65

M?daille d?or Internationale de Colombie en date du 01/05/65

Commandeur de l?American Legion en date du 02/02/65 ? Paris

The Interallied Distinguished Service Cross 1?re Classe en date du 24/12/48

War Medal G?n?ral Eisenhower 1939-1945 en date du 24/12/48

Grand Officier du M?rite Polonais des R?sistants en France n? 81 du 11/11/65

Chevalier de L?ordre National Polonais de la Virtuti Militari par d?cret du Ministre du 27/12/44 n?

L.d.z.16979/TyN Mob

M?daille de la Victoire Polonaise par brevet n? 9822 du 28/02/64

M?daille Comm?morative de la R?sistance Polonaise en France par brevet 8030 du 11/11/62

Croix de la Vaillance Polonaise par d?cret Minist?riel L.8 du 20/02/45

M?rite Polonais avec Glaive d?Or par d?cret Minist?riel du 27/02/44

M?daille Militaire Polonaise

Chevalier de l?ordre du M?rite National du Grand Duch? de Luxembourg donn? au Palais de Luxembourg, le

03/06/67, pour ampliation : le Ministre d?Etat Pierre Werner

Dipl?me d?Honneur des Passeurs Luxembourgeois en date du 12/03/67

M?daille de la Victoire Russe en date du 1910/66 ? Moscou n? 943/9

M?daille de S./Officier de l?Arm?e Belge, brevet en date du 01/05/67

[Chris Boonzaier]

Here is another link....

http://membres.lycos.fr/viriatorix/links7.htm

[Ralph]

Well - his British entitlement is wrong - You either had an Atlantic Star or France and Germany Star or Aircrew Europe star but not all three. You could get a Bar (but only 1) if you were entitled to either of the three.

I doubt, looking at his service which appeares to be "operational" that he got a defence Medal

No mention of a War Medal which would come if he got any of the stars.

Looks like he had a jolly time buying stuff at a medal fair!!!.

[Kev in Deva]

How would he qualify for an "Air Crew Star" ??

Kevin in Deva. :shame:

[Chris Boonzaier]

From what I can see... he was in the foreign legion all throughout the war.

I dont think he would have gotten any stars at all.... and why does he have half a dozen belgian resistence medals? And a chestfull of Polish underground? and half a dozen US service medals for WW2??

[Ulsterman]

What US service medals? The Legion of Merit actually makes sense (despite the date) and what is the "Eisenhower" medal?

The British awards should be easy to look up though. Anyone able to look at the award cards?

I suspect he learned to game the system and applied for medals he thought he's earned and was able to work the system a bit in his favor.

Note the Soviet anniversary award too.

[Veteran]

Hello

This is a strange mixture of genuine, possible, improbable and plain "write in and we sent the medal" stuf.

Obviously someone who liked wearing badges.

Sticking to the genuine would have made up a respectable group worthy of any old soldier's chest. I feel rather sorry when such confusion appears. But such is human nature.

And this is a free world after all.

Greetings

Veteran

[Veteran]

Incidentally, Ralph's remark about the British awards would deserve additionnal developments. I have never heard of Free French troups (the 13the Demi-Brigade de la L?gion ?trang?re being one of the very first units to join them) receiving such campaign stars and commemorative medals.

Veteran

Edited December 27, 2008 by Veteran

[Roeland]

hello gents,

I do think he is a genuine war hero, but I also think he knew the decoration system and asked for almost everything he could get, even if some medals are conflicting with each other, like our fellow member explained with the british ones.

The foreign legion is perhaps the most decorated regiment in the world and it's soldiers have seen a lot of different action in WW2.

Therefore I don't think it is weird he has a lot of decorations, he has seen a lot of action, and probably not just regular action too if you look as some of the places as well as resistance medals.

For the people that know/play the games like medal of honor and call of duty, in those games you often play a special soldier, a person that often really existed and has seen a lot of countries and resistance actions. This guy could be a story for such a game.

A war hero,but perhaps he should not have worn some medals.

which medal is this?:

M?daille de S./Officier de l?Arm?e Belge, brevet en date du 01/05/67

[Chris Boonzaier]

I think the British medals were simply hung onto him (by himself).

There is nothing that allows British stars to be awarded to a foreign serviceman.

It probably went like this... "Hmmm, I was in Italy... think I will hang on an Italy star... hmm.. I have been in france, think I will hang on a France and Germany Star.... hmmmm... I was in Africa... lets buy that Africa star... hmmmm... I was in the air once... lets get that air crew Europe star...."

He WAS at Narvik.... I wonder if he wore the Narvik shield and Africa cuff title... after all... he WAS there...

And he was in the Legion from day one... when was he in the Belgian resistance? And the French resistance? During his vacation time he parachuted in to join them?

[Roeland]

hello gents,

can't it be he was some kind of special agent or commando?

In that case it could be explainable why he fought with the resistance and the polish medals can also be explained for actions with French resistance.

I do have no doubt he exaggerated his awards.

Also, many decoration systems used to be a mess, like in my opinion the Belgian (as far as I know for example in ww1 one could ask for a medal and there was hardly anyone checking if the person truly had earned it).

So as you say Chris, he did things and in his opinion it made him eligable for certain medals and asked for them, perhaps no one really checked what he did exactly.

Looking at award descriptions for some medals from Belgium for example: many of them just have a kind of vague description: for resistance fighters, for actions against the enemy etc., a lot of medals did not state a specific periode of service within the resistance nor how special an action had to be but just ''showing courage'', in theory if you would join the resistance for a week you could be awarded a medal for resistance service. Don't know the exact decreets so I can't be sure on this point.

kind regards,

Roeland

Edited December 26, 2008 by Roeland

[Chris Boonzaier]

So as you say Chris, he did things and in his opinion it made him eligable for certain medals and asked for them, perhaps no one really checked what he did exactly.

I think it may have been more a case of saying "Hmmmm... that looks good... I'll take it!" while walking at the fleamarket and looking in the display cases....

[peter monahan]

I assume that everyone has at least one chum who fishes and is therefore familiar with the miraculous way in which certian fish (in certain stories) keep growing for years after they're boated and knocked on the head. Sadly, this looks like the same phenomenon: someone who propably is/was a genuine combat warrior but who, for whatever reason feels the need to magnify his deeds and so, his war record "just keeps growing".

A shame when, as someone else pointed out, a veteran of the Legion from War Two would almost inevitably have a very respectable, legimately earned, set of medals. I think that we, who take war and medals so seriously, tend to forget that every army in every era has had the same percentage of real heroes, 'ordinary Joes' and braggarts and outright frauds. I'm not putting the good sergeant in any one of those categoris, but it's human nature to maginify one's own deeds and soldiers ar no more or less liable the trait than anyone else.

BTW, happy holidays and Merry Chrsitmas to all!

Peter

[Ulsterman]

British stars were awarded to troops under British command. De Gaulle was ferocious (to the point of Churchill once wishing him guillotined-as did many others before and after) about keeping Free French troops as separate and integral as they could be. I'd be surprised if the French allowed British campaign medals if they were in Free French units.

However, we know that Polish, Ethiopian, Norwegian and Czech forces in exile received the campaign stars for certain.

I think Dutch troops did as well, as I remember Dutch RAF groups having both types of medals.

Edited December 29, 2008 by Ulsterman

[Roeland]

Yes, Dutch troops could also wear English medals, I have seen many medal groups from Dutch soldiers with English medals.

There was a Dutch regiment (Prinses Irene Brigade) in the 2nd WW, founded in England and they took part of actions alongside the English forces.

[Jef]

hello gents,

I do think he is a genuine war hero, but I also think he knew the decoration system and asked for almost everything he could get, even if some medals are conflicting with each other, like our fellow member explained with the british ones.

The foreign legion is perhaps the most decorated regiment in the world and it's soldiers have seen a lot of different action in WW2.

Therefore I don't think it is weird he has a lot of decorations, he has seen a lot of action, and probably not just regular action too if you look as some of the places as well as resistance medals.

For the people that know/play the games like medal of honor and call of duty, in those games you often play a special soldier, a person that often really existed and has seen a lot of countries and resistance actions. This guy could be a story for such a game.

A war hero,but perhaps he should not have worn some medals.

which medal is this?:

M?daille de S./Officier de l?Arm?e Belge, brevet en date du 01/05/67

Hello Roeland,

Is this the medal you are asking for?

F?d?ration Royale des Ex-Sous Officiers de 'l Arm?e Belge/ Koninklijke Federatie van Oud-Onderofficieren van het Belgisch Leger. It's a non official medal.

Kind regards,

Jef

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_12_2008/post-761-1230481863.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_12_2008/post-761-1230481888.jpg

[Michael Johnson]

Yes, Dutch troops could also wear English medals, I have seen many medal groups from Dutch soldiers with English medals.

There was a Dutch regiment (Prinses Irene Brigade) in the 2nd WW, founded in England and they took part of actions alongside the English forces.

And I believe the Belgian Brigade Piron also were awarded them.

[Hendrik]

And I believe the Belgian Brigade Piron also were awarded them.

Quite right, Michael ... as were members of the Belgian sections of the Royal Navy and the RAF. Noticeable among the former are a few awards of the Naval General Service Medal with "Minesweeping 1945-1951" bar - the 118th Flotilla had been sweeping mines since about 1942 and continued to do so, with Belgians still serving in it, after the war's end - and a bunch of DFC's to the latter group.

Cheers,

Hendrik

[Chris Boonzaier]

Here is a question.... how did he qualify for the resistance medals? From his list of battles he was fighting a conventional war from 39 to 45?

[Veteran]

I am sad to see the picture of a man wearing a uniform which looks like a Foreign Legion uniform with such a silly set of hardware.

The Legion d'honneur and Medaille miltaire he possibly earned deserve to be worn with a respectable set of awards, and not down graded by a lot of junk. He would never have passed the gates of a Foreign Legion camp looking like such a clown..... and he certainly would have known better.

I know I am not very polite. Sorry ! Its just that I wore that uniform many decades ago, and the picture makes me sick.

Edited December 16, 2013 by Veteran

[Chris Boonzaier]

On a legion site people from Aubagne confirm that all the French awards are kosher... he just flipped into overdrive as he got older... from being a highly decorated war hero, he turned himself into a clown :-(

[peter monahan]

Sad, but as someone said in the much earlier discussion, this too is human!

[E Williams]

This guy is 100% certified ......as what is called, in French I'm not sure but in American/British a, PX/NAAFI soldier.

[Chris Boonzaier]

This guy is 100% certified ......as what is called, in French I'm not sure but in American/British a, PX/NAAFI soldier.

Thats the sad thing, this guys real war record is incredible, he IS a real hero... he does have medals that could allow him to walk anywhere with his head held very high... but it seems to have become a drug, and he just carried on adding and adding....

[IrishGunner]

War Medal G?n?ral Eisenhower 1939-1945 en date du 24/12/48

Is it possible the General Eisenhower Award was from the Boy Scouts of America for a wastepaper collecting campaign...?

(At least that's the only reference I can find to such an award...)

Edited December 16, 2013 by IrishGunner