Czechoslovak War Cross
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The Czechoslovak War Cross is a military decoration of the former state of Czechoslovakia which was issued as a service medal of both World War I and World War II. There are two versions of the decoration, commonly referred to as the Czechoslovak War Cross 1918 and the Czechoslovak War Cross 1939-1945.
[edit] 1914 – 1918
The Czechoslovak War Cross 1918 ( Československý válečný kříž in Czech) was a military award, awarded for acts of military valour during the years of the First World War.
The medal was first created on November 7 1918 and issued to Czechoslovak citizens and also, upon application, to citizens of Germany and Austria who had served in the Czechoslovak armed forces ( e.g. Czechoslovak Legions) during the years of the Great War with distinction and bravery, and also during border conflicts with Poland and Hungary.
The Czechoslovak War Cross was also, on occasion, issued to veterans of the Allied powers who had played a large role in World War I and were considered contributors to the formation of the Czechoslovak state. John J. Pershing was one such recipient of the Czechoslovak War Cross.
It was awarded to the capital city of Serbia, Belgrade, on October 8, 1925.
[edit] 1939 – 1945
In 1945, a second version of the Czechoslovak War Cross was created and issued, not as a general service medal, but as a meritorious decoration for those had provided great service the Czechoslovak state during the years of World War II. The award was mainly intended for persons who had helped liberate Czechoslovakia from the rule of Nazi Germany. Several American officers received the award, such as George S. Patton, and the decoration was also bestowed to national heroes such as the men who had assassinated Reinhard Heydrich.
The second Czechoslovak War Cross was known as the Czechoslovak War Cross 1939-1945 and a common phrase for the decoration was also the Czechoslovak Croix de Guerre. In cases where an individual had received both the World War I and World War II versions, both medals could be worn simultaneously.
There were no further versions of the Czechoslovak War Cross after 1945 and the medal became obsolete with the division of the Czechoslovak state in 1992.
