Belgium Belgium - WW2 Armed Resistance Medal 1940-45

[Guest Darrell]

Background (Thanks to Hendrik's Site )

This medal was instituted on 16 February 1946 for award to all members of the armed resistance and to members of the intelligence service who operated in occupied areas.

The ribbon colours are symbolic : black for the sombre days of occupation, green for the hope of liberation, red for the blood shed by the Resistance casualties.

Obervse:

Edited August 14, 2006 by Darrell

[Guest Darrell]

Reverse:

[Jacky]

Hi Darrell,

what did lure into the belgian awards??

However,

I have got one of those too,

in a little nice group!!!

Can't take a picture, will still have to buy a digital camera.

The group consist of;

knight leopold II with silver palm L

Silver palms Order of the crown

Armed resistance medal

POW medal

Croix d'guerre with palm

War Commemorative medal WWII with crossed swords

Medal/Cross of the volunteer Fighter WWII

The picture can be found at the 44th post of the thread "Order of Leopold II"

only the Croix d'Guerre is missing in this picture...

[Paul R]

The field of Belgian medals seems to be a very under appreciated area of collecting. You guys have some great medals! What were these medals(Jacky) awarded for?

[Jacky]

Well Hendrik will give a better description,

but generally;

Order of Leopold II with palm; for bravery in the field (the bravery is denoted by the palm)

Order of the crown; most likely a long service award

Civil decoration for the WWII; for merit during the hostilities

medal for the military fighter 1940-1945; for those who served in the army during WWII

Warcommemorative medal with swords; the war commemorative medal were instituted for all soldiers, resistance-members e.d, together with several insignia for famous battle places, to denote the service in which the receipment served and/or the number of wounds.

POW-medal; The name just says all, for each half year a clasp were awarded. This medal doesn't bear a clasp for the half-years captive nor for those who died... So what did happen to this man??? Maybe could Hendrik shed a light upon this fact?? I would think that he were set free within 1 month.

At last the Armed resistance medal; for those who were involved with the armed resistance.....

For more and precizer information, I will have to direct you to Hendriks Web-page

Kind regards,

Jacky

Edited August 16, 2006 by Jacky

[Paul R]

Jacky,

Thank you for patiently explaining these interesting medals. It seems that Belguim places a lot of pride in it's veterans!

[Laurence Strong]

I remember my Moms cousin who had emigrated here after the war, used to always were a Resistance Medal lapel ribbon on his suits.

[Hendrik]

So what did happen to this man???

Hi Gents,

Not much to add to what Jacky has explained as he was kind enough to provide a link to my site and I thus would just be repeating myself

The absence of one or more bars on the POW medal can, I think, either be that the recipient was released within the 6 months required for a first bar or that the bar(s) was/were lost or broken (those original bars aren't all that strong and break fairly easy). I tend to favour the first option : a number of Belgian POW's were allowed to return home fairly quickly by the Germans once Belgium and France had been conquered.

Cheers,

Hendrik

Edited August 16, 2006 by Hendrik

[Jacky]

Hi Hendrik,

Always a pleasure to link to such a famous and complete site!!!

May I add a little comment??

If I'm right, the bars for the POW medal were awarded for having been in a prisonner-camp between 1 month and 7 months.....

Please feel free to correct me, but if a POW had been less than one month, he wouldn't have had a bar,

But if he had been one month in the POW-camp, he got 1 bar...

for 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 month too,

THen they would count the month's again, also with 1 month, so after 7 months he would have had 2 bars.....

I don't know if I have explained it clearly enough???

But for every time between 1 month and 6 months he would have "earned" a bar,

So I think that his man were set free within 1 month... Or he couldn't prove that he had been long enough in a POW-camp???

Kind regards,

Jacky

[Hendrik]

If I'm right, the bars for the POW medal were awarded for having been in a prisonner-camp between 1 month and 7 months.....

Jacky,

We are both wrong : working from (an obviously failing) memory, I mistakenly mentioned the captivity period for the Political Prisoner's Cross ... Requirement for a bar on the POW medal is 12 months captivity (max. 5 bars can thus be awarded although the last one then is not for a complete year) ! So any POW released before a year had passed, would not have a bar on his medal's ribbon.

But we are digressing : this topic is on the Armed Resistance Medal !

Cheers,

Hendrik

Edited August 17, 2006 by Hendrik

[Jacky]

ah Hendrik,

you're very very true...

Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa,

Mea Maxima Culpa......

[Jacky]

Hi Gents,

The group I mentioned above is going to be sold......

Yes It's quite sad, but I'm going to focus myself on the WW1 and the order of leopold II...

Edited August 21, 2006 by Jacky

[Jacky]

*deleted*

Edited August 21, 2006 by Jacky

[Hendrik]

The group I mentioned above is going to be sold......

Jacky,

There is an appropriate section on this forum, the "Sale Room", where you can put up the group as for sale ... Just offer it there with the price you want for it. It's bound to get more attention there than hidden away in this topic on just one medal !

Cheers,

Hendrik