Army and Navy Uniforms and Insignia: How to Know Rank, Corps and Service in the Military and Naval Forces of the United States and Foreign CountriesWilliams, Dion
History
Army and Navy Uniforms and Insignia: How to Know Rank, Corps and Service in the Military and Naval Forces of the United States and Foreign Countries
Williams, Dion
Armies -- Insignia; Military uniforms; Navies -- Insignia; United States. Army -- Insignia; United States. Navy -- Insignia
The dress and service uniforms of the Roumanian Army are very similar
to those of the Austrian Army and the field uniform is of khaki-colored
cloth with the facings, pipings and rank insignia of the dress uniforms
added.
FOREIGN WAR DECORATIONS AND MEDALS
The multiplicity of medals and decorations in all foreign countries
makes it very difficult to distinguish one from another, especially
since the designs and ribbons used by different countries are
frequently quite similar. To describe all of these decorations is not
practicable within the scope of this volume, but a few of the ones
which are classed as distinctively war decorations are included as they
are the ones most commonly seen and talked about.
_French War Medals._—The French decorations given for war service are
the _Legion d’honneur_ (Legion of Honor), the _Medaille Militaire_
(Military Medal) and the _Croix de Guerre_ (War Cross).
The Legion of Honor was inaugurated by Napoleon I at Les Invalides
on July 15, 1804, and the medals and ribbons were bestowed upon both
soldiers and civilians. The medal consists of a white star with five
double rays; the center of the star, surrounded by a wreath of oak and
laurel, bearing on the obverse the head of the Republic surrounded
by the words, “République Française, 1870,” and on the reverse two
tri-colored flags with the words, “Honneur et Patrie.” Above the star
is a small gold wreath and the ribbon is red.
_The Medaille Militaire_, created by Prince Louis Napoleon in January,
1852, may be bestowed upon Generals and Admirals who have been
ministers of the state cabinet or commanders in chief, commanders of
Army Corps who have presided over the Superior Council of War and the
greatest of the war leaders of France. It is of silver, twenty-eight
millimeters in diameter, surmounted by a trophy of arms in silver and
suspended by a yellow ribbon with green stripes at the edges. The
obverse of the medal bears the head of the Republic surrounded by the
words, “République Française, 1870,” and the reverse the words, “Valeur
et Discipline.”
_The Croix de Guerre_, established by law on April 8, 1915, is awarded
to soldiers and sailors of all ranks in the service of France and her
Allies who perform individual acts of gallantry in operations against
the enemy during the present war and are mentioned for such acts in
official despatches. The cross is of Florentine bronze, four-armed
with two crossed swords between the arms, and is surcharged at the
center with a medallion bearing the head of the Republic surrounded by
the inscription “République Française” on the obverse and the dates
“1914-1915” on the reverse side. The ribbon is green with seven narrow
red stripes.
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