France Important Italian Fascist became Foreign Legion Member – which medals ?

[lilo]

Hi All,

I’m trying to search what it can be the French medal entitlement to a very important member of Italian Fascism that later became a Foreign Legion Member.

His real name was Giuseppe BOTTAI but the name that he used to join the French Foreign Legion was that of Andrea BATTAGLIA.

The period he spent in the FFL was from 1944 to 1948 and he fought the Germans in the 1^st R.E.C. (Regiment of Cavalry) with the rank of brigadier chef.

I took these information from :

1) http://it.wikipedia....Giuseppe_Bottai

‘Nel 1944 si arruola con il consenso delle autorità politiche francesi, sotto il nome di Andrea Battaglia, nella Legione Straniera, dove rimarrà fino al 1948 e nelle cui file combatterà contro i tedeschi inquadrato nel 1º Reggimento di cavalleria con il grado di brigadier chef.’

2) http://en.wikipedia....Giuseppe_Bottai

‘In the meantime, he had entered the French Foreign Legion, where he remained up to 1948, taking part in Allied campaigns in France and Nazi Germany.’

Question :

Is it possible to establish which French medals (including the clasps) and/or Orders this man received for his service (that for what I understood, was also active in figthing Germans) with the FFL ?

Thank you for any help you can give me

Regards

Lilo

Edited November 6, 2011 by lilo

[Veteran]

He certainly will have received the Croix des Combattants and the 1939-1945 Commemorative medal with LIBERATION and ALLEMAGNE clasps. He may have also been mentionned in dispaches, in which case he would have received a croix de guerre with the appropriate ribbon star.

He first served with the 1rst REC (Régiment Etranger de Cavalerie) but his presence there was discovered by the press and he was discreetly transfered to the RMLE (Regiment de Marche de la Legion Etrangere) with which he completed the campaign in Europe.

Both regiments belonged to the French 5th Armoured Division. The REC was the Divisional recce regiment, the RMLE being its armoured infantery.

Edited November 6, 2011 by Veteran