The Greek Air Force Medals (1941-1953)
In this article, we are going to follow the thread of the institution of the Greek Air Force awards and the changes made in their design, until they received their final one, sometimes more than a decade later. The fact that the process lasted this long, the lack of widely available archival material and the subsequent lack of thorough research, have partially led to some misconceptions and misidentifications of certain awards in the bibliography. The language barrier –since the names of the awards have been translated to English- may have also played a role. We will try to clarify these misconceptions, hopefully in a successful way.
The first Emergency Law (E.L.) regarding the Air Force awards was 2767/1941. Published in the Official Government Gazette (O.G.G.) Issue No 22 of January 24, 1941, it instituted the first four of them:
The first Emergency Law (E.L.) regarding the Air Force awards was 2767/1941. Published in the Official Government Gazette (O.G.G.) Issue No 22 of January 24, 1941, it instituted the first four of them:
A: Officers.
1st ) Flying Cross (Greek: Σταυρός Ιπταμένου)
2nd ) Air Force Cross (Σταυρός Αεροπορίας)
B: Other Ranks in general
1st ) Flying Medal (Μετάλλιο Ιπταμένου)
2nd ) Air Force Medal” (Μετάλλιο Αεροπορίας)
The award criteria for both Crosses were: “[…] particularly valiant and daring acts committed in flight and only during in the face of the enemy”, while both of the Medals were to be awarded for “[…] excellent professional and commanding skill, for daring acts and those of self-sacrifice, for distinguished flights in peacetime, as well as for useful services in general, but not in the face of the enemy”.
The text also specified that subsequent awards of the Flying Cross and Flying Medal were to be represented by 5mm silver-gilt crowns on their ribbons, with the maximum number of crowns allowed being three.
The E.L. left the specifics of the design to a later Royal Decree (R.D.), which was issued on April 5, 1941 and published in Issue No 110 of April 10, 1941 of the O.G.G. According to it, the Flying Cross:
The text also specified that subsequent awards of the Flying Cross and Flying Medal were to be represented by 5mm silver-gilt crowns on their ribbons, with the maximum number of crowns allowed being three.
The E.L. left the specifics of the design to a later Royal Decree (R.D.), which was issued on April 5, 1941 and published in Issue No 110 of April 10, 1941 of the O.G.G. According to it, the Flying Cross:
“[…] is silver, […] is formed with a two-bladed aircraft propeller in vertical position and two spread eagle wings sprouting from the centre of the propeller and spreading in a horizontal position.
The royal cypher is set inside the centre of the propeller in relief and over it a small crown. The arms of the cross are connected by a circular laurel wreath, positioned behind and in the middle of the wings and the propeller. On the top edge of the propeller blade, is mounted a crown, on the top of which is placed the suspension ring. The maximal diameter of the Cross, the crown not considered, is 45 mm. The colour of the blade and the wreath is that of dark steel, whereas the one of the wings and the crown, golden. The reverse is flat and gold-gilt, while the date 1940 is inscribed in relief on the corresponding place of the centre of the blade.” |
Regarding the Air Force Cross, it was defined as:
“[…] silver, […] formed with four equal arms, widened on the edges, with their intersecting point connected with a disk.
The arms are connected with a laurel wreath, placed behind them and adjoining the disk. A diving eagle is placed on the horizontal arms and, over it, a small crown. On the top edge of the Cross, is placed a crown, on the top edge of which is placed the suspension ring. The longest diameter of the Cross is similar to the one of the Flying Cross. The colour of the Cross is the one of dark steel, with the exception of the diving eagle and the crown, which are gold-gilt. The reverse is gold gilt and bears the date 1940 on the middle, in relief.” |
The text defines the Flying Medal as:
“[…] copper, circular, with a diameter of 33 mm, bearing a reduced-size Flying Cross in relief, without its crown, which is mounted on the periphery of the medal. The centre of the propeller bears no insignia. The edges of the propeller blades, as well as the ones of the wings, are placed adjoining the periphery of the medal.”
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And last for this R.D., the Air Force Medal is described as:
Both Medals were meant to share a common reverse, which would:
“bear […] Our likeness in General’s uniform, the words ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΣ Β’ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΩΝ (George II, King of Greeks) around it, in capital letters, and the date 1940 under the bust.”
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Article 3 defined the ribbons for all four awards. The Flying Cross and the Flying Medal were to bear a dark blue ribbon, with a white stripe in the middle. Its overall length was regulated at 35 mm, with the one of the white stripe at 8 mm. The Air Force Cross and the Air Force Medal on the other hand were to bear green ribbons, also with a length of 35 mm, with an 18mm blue central stripe.
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Unfortunately, no drawings of the medals are available. It is also most probable that none of them were ever manufactured, since the R.D. itself was published on the same day the German troops had totally overcome the defenses of the Metaxas Line and had begun their advance towards the mainland.
A later Decree, dated November 30, 1942 and referred to in the final, 1953 R.D. that we will examine further in the course of the article, was not available, still leaving a gap in the present research.
A later Decree, dated November 30, 1942 and referred to in the final, 1953 R.D. that we will examine further in the course of the article, was not available, still leaving a gap in the present research.
The next document referring to the Air Force awards is Law 107/1945, published in O.G.G. Issue No 18 of January 27, 1945. The new Law instituted five new awards, changed the award criteria of the already existing ones and also made no reference to one of them. This must be the reason for the first misidentification of an award in the later bibliography, if not the 1942 R.D.
According to the text, the awards were:
According to the text, the awards were:
“A. – For the personnel of all ranks and specialties
Meritorious Citation (Εύφημος Μνεία) Distinguished Service Medal (Μετάλλιο Εξαιρέτων Υπηρεσιών) Medal for Outstanding Acts (Μετάλλιο Εξαιρέτων Πράξεων) B. – To all ranks, for actions in flight Convoy Escort Medal (Μετάλλιο Συνοδειών και Επιθετικών Αναγνωρίσεων) Flying Cross (Σταυρός Ιπταμένου) Cross of Valour in Flight (Αριστείο Ιπταμένου) C. For flying personnel only 1. For Officers only, Air Force Cross (Σταυρός Αεροπορίας) 2. For NCOs only, Air Force Medal (Μετάλλιο Αεροπορίας) D. For ground crews only 1. For Officers only, Air Force Merit Cross (Σταυρός Αξίας Αεροπορίας) 2. For NCOs only, Air Force Merit Medal” (Μετάλλιο Αξίας Αεροπορίας)" |
So, disregarding the Meritorious Citation and the Medal for Outstanding Acts, which was not an Air Force specific award, the number of those was eight. The “missing” award is the Flying Medal. There is not further mention to this award in the following Decrees, although it surfaces in the bibliography.
As was standard procedure, a following R.D. defined the ribbons, leaving the specifics of their design to a later Decree. That was the one of March 16, 1945, published in O.G.G. Issue No 62 of March 17, 1945. According to it, no change was made regarding the medals instituted in 1941, while for the newly instituted ones, these were:
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No further R.D. of King George II was encountered during the archival research in the timeframe of his reign, so it seems that, as was the case with other instituted –but finally not issued medals of this period, the process was halted. The reasons for these delays would make an interesting research project in their own merit.
The form of the awards, as it is known today, was defined as late as 1953, during the reign of King Paul, whose royal cypher they bear. The R.D. with the necessary regulations was the one of March 30, 1953, published in the O.G.G. Issue No 135 of May 15, 1953. Listing the awards of the R.D. at hand, the eight awards are the following:
1. Cross of Valour in Flight (Αριστείο Ιπταμένου)
2. Flying Cross (Σταυρός Ιπταμένου) 3. Air Force Cross (Σταυρός Αεροπορίας) 4. Air Force Medal (Μετάλλιο Αεροπορίας) 5. Air Force Cross of Merit (Σταυρός Αξίας Αεροπορίας) 6. Air Force Medal of Merit (Μετάλλιο Αξίας Αεροπορίας) 7. Convoy Escort Medal (Μετάλλιο Συνοδειών και Επιθετικών Αναγνωρίσεων) 8. Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (Μετάλλιο Εξαιρέτων Υπηρεσιών) |
As is evident, the 1953 Royal Decree retained all awards of the 1945 Law and Decree, still not making any reference to the Flying Medal (Μετάλλιο Ιπταμένου). A closer look at the descriptions will show the awards the collecting community is familiar with and also the source of the wrongly identified medal.
1. CROSS OF VALOUR IN FLIGHT
The award consists of a cross, the arms of which are widened on their edges. Our Monogram is positioned in the centre, enclosed by a double circle, framed with a laurel wreath on its periphery. From this circle sprout the spread wings of an eagle in a horizontal direction, ending in the edges of the horizontal arms of the cross. A Crown is mounted on the top edge of the Cross, on the top of which is mounted the suspension ring. The visible parts of the Cross, the Crown, the Monogram and the wreath are gold-gilt, the rest is silver-gilt. The reverse is flat and silver-gilt, while the date “1945” is placed in the middle, in relief. The dimensions of the Cross, not regarding the Crown, are 35 x 35 mm. The ribbon is described as per the 1945 R.D. |
2. FLYING CROSS
The Flying Cross is silver-gilt, its form and its dimensions are the following: The Cross consists of two intersecting wings. In its middle and in the intersecting point is positioned the cypher, on the top tip of the vertical wing is mounted a Crown, on the top of which is mounted the suspension ring. The reverse is flat and of the same colour. The Royal Cypher is positioned in relief in the middle and the date “1945” on the bottom part of the vertical arm of the Cross. The dimensions of the Cross, without the Crown, are 40 x 40 mm. The R.D. defined a new ribbon for the Flying Cross, too: “The Flying Cross ribbon has got a length of 35 mm and consists of parallel, interchanging red and yellow 4.5 mm stripes, positioned at an angle of 45 degrees, from top right to bottom left.” |
3. AIR FORCE CROSS
The Air Force Cross is formed by an aircraft propeller, vertically positioned and intersecting in its centre with a pair of horizontally spread eagle wings. In the middle of the Cross and on the centre of the propeller, is placed Our Royal Cypher. On the top part of the propeller is mounted a Crown, on the top of which is mounted the suspension ring. The dimensions of the Cross are 40 x 40 mm, without the Crown, its colour is the one of copper. On the middle of its reverse, which is flat, is placed Our Royal Cypher. The ribbon is described as: “[…] 36 mm long, of dark red colour, with two vertical, 5 mm-wide yellow stripes on its sides.” |
The next entry is interesting:
4. AIR FORCE MEDAL
This is similar to the Air Force Cross in its form and dimensions, whereas it is of dark copper colour. The ribbon of the medal: “[…] is similar to the one of the Air Force Cross, with the difference that the vertical yellow stripes have half the width of that of the Cross, namely 2.5 mm.” |
Having reached this point, an observation can be made regarding the Cross described on page 96 of “Greek Medals” by G. Stratoudakis as the “1945 Flying Medal”, which is actually the Air Force Cross or Medal, depending on the colour (although interestingly, two different colours are mentioned about the Flying Cross on the previous page and not about these awards). As we saw earlier, no Flying Medal is found in the 1953 Decree. The misidentification must have occurred due to the similarity of the award (propeller intersecting with eagle wings) to the original designs of the Flying Cross and the Flying Medal of the 1941 R.D. So, resuming, Stratoudakis presents seven awards in total instead of eight, with the one wrongly identified as the Flying Medal, actually being two different awards: The Air Force Cross and the Air Force Medal.
The next four awards present no surprises. Resuming, we will see the Air Force Cross of Merit:
The next four awards present no surprises. Resuming, we will see the Air Force Cross of Merit:
5. AIR FORCE CROSS OF MERIT
The Air Force Cross of Merit is formed with a Cross, the arms of which are widened on their tips. In the middle of the Cross and inside a circle, an aircraft propeller is positioned vertically. The circle is framed with a laurel wreath, which, nonetheless, does not cover the arms of the Cross, but only becomes visible in the spaces between the arms. Our Royal Cypher is positioned on the upper part of the vertical arm of the Cross. From the centre of the propeller sprout two spread eagle wings, on the horizontal arms of the Cross. A Crown is mounted on the top edge of the cross, on the top of which is mounted the suspension ring. The dimensions of the Cross are 40 x 40 mm, its colour polished silver-gilt. On the reverse, it is flat and of the same colour, on its centre is positioned the date “1945” in relief. The ribbon of the Cross remained unchanged and as referred to in the 1945 R.D. |
6. AIR FORCE MEDAL OF MERIT
The Air Force Medal of Merit is circular, with its dimensions being 35 x 35 mm. On the top of the medal is mounted a Crown, on top of which is mounted the suspension ring. In the centre of the Medal, an aircraft propeller is vertically positioned, to the centre of which are connected two horizontally spread eagle wings. On the upper part of the medal, exactly under the Crown, is placed Our Royal Cypher. The Medal is framed with a laurel wreath. The colour of the Medal is silver-gilt in a gray tone. Its reverse is flat and on its centre is placed the date “1945” in relief. No changes were made to the ribbon of this award, either. |
7. CONVOY ESCORT MEDAL
The Convoy Escort Medal is circular, with dimensions of 40 x 40 mm. On its upper part and inside a small circle, which intersects the periphery of the circle of the medal and protrudes for a length of 2 mm, is placed Our Royal Cypher. On the top part of the circle is mounted a Crown, on the top of which is mounted the suspension ring. The medal is surrounded by a laurel wreath. In the middle and from the horizontal diameter of the Medal and towards its lower part, is positioned, in relief, the image of sea waters and above it, a flying fighter aircraft. The medal is copper-coloured. Its reverse is flat and on its centre the date “1945” is placed in relief. Again, no change was made to the ribbon. |
8. DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL
The Distinguished Service Medal is circular and with its dimensions being of 35 x 35 mm. In the centre of the Medal and inside a circle, 15 mm in diameter, is placed a Phoenix, being reborn from its ashes, in relief. Over this circle, two spread eagle wings sprout horizontally. A Crown is positioned over their middle. The Medal is framed with a laurel wreath, interrupted on the one hand in the lower part through Our Cypher, and on the other, on the upper part through the eagle wings. In the middle space, between the circle surrounding the Phoenix, and the laurel wreath, are placed the words “ΔΙ’ ΕΞΑΙΡΕΤΟΥΣ ΥΠΗΕΡΕΣΙΑΣ” (For Distinguished Service), in relief. On the top edge of the Medal is mounted a ring, through which is mounted the suspension ring. The Medal is copper-coloured. The reverse is flat and the date “1945” is positioned on its middle. As was the case with the previous three awards, this one also retained the ribbon defined in the 1945 R.D. |
The original text of O.G.G. Issue No 135 of May 15, 1953, regarding the Distinguished Service Medal. (Click on images to enlarge.)
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The following image shows the original text of the R.D., referring to the ribbons of the awards.
I hope that the article has presented the Greek Air Force awards in an understandable and helpful way, and that it has also aided in clarifying any dark areas regarding their titles.
Sources:
1. "Ελληνικά Μετάλλια", Στρατουδάκης Γ., Aθήνα, 2001.
2. ΦΕΚ 22, Τεύχος Α', 24/1/1941, Α.Ν. 2767, "Περί Ηθικών Αμοιβών Βασ. Αεροπορίας".
3. ΦΕΚ 110, Τεύχος Α', 10/4/1941, Β.Δ. 5/4/1941, "Περί καθορισμού σχεδίου, είδους, χρωματισμού ταινιών, διπλωμάτων και μεταλλίων της Β.Α."
4. ΦΕΚ 18, Τεύχος Α', 27/1/1945, Ν. 107/1945, "Περί ηθικών αμοιβών Αεροπορίας"
5. ΦΕΚ 62, Τεύχος Α', 17/3/1945, Β.Δ. 16/3/1945, "Περί καθορισμού ταινιών μεταλλίων Αεροπορίας".
6. ΦΕΚ 135, Τεύχος Α' 15/5/1953, Β.Δ. 30/3/1953, "Περί καθορισμού του τύπου, των ταινιών και των διπλωμάτων των Μεταλλίων της Β. Αεροπορίας".
1. "Ελληνικά Μετάλλια", Στρατουδάκης Γ., Aθήνα, 2001.
2. ΦΕΚ 22, Τεύχος Α', 24/1/1941, Α.Ν. 2767, "Περί Ηθικών Αμοιβών Βασ. Αεροπορίας".
3. ΦΕΚ 110, Τεύχος Α', 10/4/1941, Β.Δ. 5/4/1941, "Περί καθορισμού σχεδίου, είδους, χρωματισμού ταινιών, διπλωμάτων και μεταλλίων της Β.Α."
4. ΦΕΚ 18, Τεύχος Α', 27/1/1945, Ν. 107/1945, "Περί ηθικών αμοιβών Αεροπορίας"
5. ΦΕΚ 62, Τεύχος Α', 17/3/1945, Β.Δ. 16/3/1945, "Περί καθορισμού ταινιών μεταλλίων Αεροπορίας".
6. ΦΕΚ 135, Τεύχος Α' 15/5/1953, Β.Δ. 30/3/1953, "Περί καθορισμού του τύπου, των ταινιών και των διπλωμάτων των Μεταλλίων της Β. Αεροπορίας".