Order of the Release

The Ordre of the Release is a French Décoration which rewards the heroes for the Release of France at the time of the Second world war. This order, most prestigious before even that of the Legion of honor, was allotted only to one certain number of people, military units and communes for top-facts at the time of the Libération of France.

History

The Order of the Release was created on November 16th, 1940, by the Général de Gaulle, in Brazzaville (Congo), to reward those for the French Free S which would be distinguished for the Libération from the France.

As of on January 29th, 1941, the five first Compagnons of the Release are named and train thus the first council of the Order. They are Henri Bouquillard, Felix Éboué, Emmanuel d' Harcourt, Edmond Popieul, and Georges Thierry d' Argenlieu (which will be named first chancellor).

Only 1038 people, 5 communes and 18 combat units were seen allotting this decoration between January 1941 and January 1946.

By leaving the capacity in January 1946, the General de Gaulle sign a decree which puts an end to attribution Croix of the Release (decree of the January 23rd 1946), because the goal of the release is reached. It is only on two exceptional occasions that the order will be reopened by its Grand Master , the Général de Gaulle. One in 1958 for Winston Churchill and the other in 1960 for the king of the the United Kingdom George VI on a purely posthumous basis.

The post of chancellor of the Order was allotted to the professor François Jacob by decree of October 12th, 2007 (published with the official journal of October 14th, 2007), after the death of Pierre Messmer, chancellor of the Order since June 6th, 2006.

Decoration

The badge of the Order is the Cross of the Release.

The cross is one ecu of 33 height mm rectangular polished bronze on 30 mm broad, carrying a 60 height mm sword on 7 mm broad, exceeding in top and bottom, overloaded of a black cross of Lorraine.

The colors of the ribbon are the black, expressing the mourning of France oppressed by the invaders, the green, expressing the hope of the Fatherland.

With the reverse of the ecu, is registered the currency “  Patriam Servando - Victoriam Tulit   ” (“  By serving the Fatherland, it gained Victoire  ”).

It goes on the chest, on the left, just after the Legion of Honor and before the Military decoration.

It should be noted that the first crosses were manufactured by House PINCHES (London, GB) and the Currency of Paris stock in 1944 repurchased some. Source of alternatives (some 26 decoration found….the French manufacturers and foreigners manufactured some after the release of France without omitting the models manufactured on various places in which Free France was present (Africa, Moyen the East for example). This badge is a topic of collection.

Of share of research it was listed 26 different types of Cross (private collection).

Large-Master of the Order

The de Gaulle general was only and single Large-Master of the Order.

Very attached to this distinction, it carried the collar of Large-Master of the Order, receipt on August 31st, 1947, on the official photographs of the Presidency of the Republic.

The November 9th 1970, with died of the General de Gaulle, the Council about the Compagnons of the Release decided that it would not have a successor.

Attribution

The allotted Crosses are 1061.
  • 1038 with people
  • 18 with military units
  • 5 at cities (voy. below)

No criterion of age, sex, rank, origin, and even of nationality, is required. It is the value which counts and the exceptional quality of the rendered services, which are not exclusively services combatants.

The Général de Gaulle made a point of specifying the exceptional character of this kind, thus it wrote: “  One proposes candidates to me who, although very worthy and valiant combatants, do not answer the completely exceptional conditions which justify the accession in Ordre.  ”

During the Second world war, decoration was very often decreed under pseudonym or identity of war. It is the case for Jean Moulin, for example, which is made Compagnon of the Release, on October 17th, 1942, under the name of “  Corporal Draper   ”.

People

On the 1038 people decorated with the Cross of the Release, 65 were killed before the end of the war, and 260 accepted it on a purely posthumous basis.

Six women accepted the Cross of the Release.

Military units

Army

  • Battalion of walk 2

  • 13th half-brigade of Foreign legion
  • Battalion of marines and the Pacific
  • Regiment of walk of Chad
  • 2 {{E}} colonial Regiment of Infantry
  • 1 {{er}} Regiment of colonial artillery
  • 1/3e Regiment of colonial artillery
  • 1 {{er}} Regiment of Walk of Spahis Morrocans
  • 501e Tank regiment of Combat

Navy

Air force

  • 1st Fighter squadron
  • Regiment of hunting Normandy-Niemen
  • Group of bombardment Lorraine
  • Group of hunting Ile-de-France
  • Group of hunting Alsace
  • 2 {{E}} Regiment of hunters parachutists

Cities

See too

  • List of the companions of the Release

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • Official Page about the Release
  • Site treating of military and civil decorations French

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