Medal of the Armed Resistance 1940–1945

Resistance Medal 1940–1945
Resistance Medal 1940–1945 (obverse)
Awarded by Kingdom of Belgium
Type	War medal
Eligibility	Belgian citizens
Awarded for	Service in the resistance or in undercover intelligence gathering
Status	No longer awarded
Statistics
Established	16 February 1946
Reverse of the medal Ribbon bar

The Resistance Medal 1940–1945 (French: Médaille de la Résistance 1940–1945, Dutch: Medaille van de Weerstand 1940–1945) was a Belgian war medal established by royal decree of the Regent on 16 February 1946 and awarded to all members of the Belgian armed resistance during the Second World War and to members of the intelligence service who operated in occupied territories and participated in combat actions aimed at the liberation of Belgium.^[1]

Award description

The Resistance Medal 1940–1945 was a 39mm in diameter circular bronze medal. Its obverse bore the upper body of a young woman facing left in defiance with her right fist clenched. The reverse bore the relief inscription in Latin on three lines "1940 RESISTERE 1945" superimposed over a laurel wreath.^[1]

The medal was suspended by a ring through a suspension loop from a 37 mm wide black silk moiré ribbon with two central 1 mm wide red stripes 5 mm apart and 4 mm light green edge stripes. The colours of the ribbon were symbolic, the black denoting the dark days of the German occupation and/or the clandestine nature of the resistance, the green stood the hope of liberation and the red for the spilled blood of the resistance members.^[1]

Notable recipients (partial list)

The individuals listed below were awarded the Medal of the Armed Resistance:^[2]

• Lieutenant General Ernest Engelen
• Cavalry Major General Jules François Gaston Everaert
• Lieutenant General Jules Joseph Pire
• Lieutenant General Alphonse Verstraete
• Lieutenant General Joseph Leroy
• Cavalry Lieutenant General Jules De Boeck
• Police Lieutenant General Louis Joseph Leroy
• Achille van Acker
• Edmond Leburton
• Alfons Vranckx
• Baron Albert Lilar
• Count Harold d’Aspremont Lynden
• Count Jean-Charles Snoy et d’Oppuers
• Viscount Omer Vanaudenhove
• Geraard van den Daele
• Count Count Jean d’Ursel
• Baron Pierre van Outryve d’Ydewalle
• Count Charles of Limburg Stirum
• Robberechts Henri
• Marcel Verriest

See also

• Resistance during World War II
• Resistance movement
• List of Orders, Decorations and Medals of the Kingdom of Belgium

References

Other sources

• Quinot H., 1950, Recueil illustré des décorations belges et congolaises, 4e Edition. (Hasselt)
• Cornet R., 1982, Recueil des dispositions légales et réglementaires régissant les ordres nationaux belges. 2e Ed. N.pl., (Brussels)
• Borné A.C., 1985, Distinctions honorifiques de la Belgique, 1830–1985 (Brussels)

External links

• Bibliothèque royale de Belgique (In French)
• Les Ordres Nationaux Belges (In French)
• ARS MORIENDI Notables from Belgian history (In French and Dutch)

Orders, decorations, and medals of Belgium
Current orders	Order of Leopold Order of the Crown Order of Leopold II
Formerly awarded orders (dormant)	Order of the African Star Royal Order of the Lion
Pre 1914 war medals and decorations	Civic Guard Merit Medal 1830 Star of Honour Iron Cross 1830 Volunteers' Commemorative Cross 1870–71 Commemorative Medal
1914–1918 war medals and decorations	Croix de guerre 1914–18 Fire Cross 1914–1918 Yser Medal Yser Cross Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918 1914–1918 Commemorative War Medal 1914–1917 African Campaigns Commemorative Medal Liège Medal Maritime Decoration 1914–1918 Political Prisoner's Medal 1914–1918 Deportees' Cross 1914–1918 1914–1918 Medal for National Restoration King Albert Medal Queen Elisabeth Medal Inter-Allied Victory Medal 1914–1918 Civic Decoration 1914–1918 Commemorative Medal of the National Committee for Aid and Food
1940–1945 war medals and decorations	Croix de guerre 1940–45 Maritime Medal 1940–1945 1940–1945 Military Combatant's Medal Volunteer's Medal 1940–1945 1940–1945 African War Medal 1940–1945 Colonial War Effort Medal Abyssinian Campaigns Commemorative Medal Resistance Medal 1940–1945 Civilian Resistance Medal Civilian Disobedience Medal Political Prisoner's Cross 1940–1945 Prisoner of War Medal 1940–1945 Escapees' Cross 1940–1945 Medal for Resistance against Nazism in the Annexed Territories Medal of the Recruiting Centers 1940 Medal of Belgian Gratitude 1940–1945 Commemorative Medal of the War 1940–1945 Civic Decoration 1940–1945
Post 1945 war medals and decorations	Foreign Operational Theatres Commemorative Medal War Volunteer's Medal
Current military awards	Military Cross Military Decoration Croix de guerre (post-1954) Cross of Honour for Military Service Abroad Commemorative Medal for Armed Humanitarian Operations Medal for Services Rendered Commemorative Medal for Foreign Operations or Missions Medal for Military Merit Commemorative Medal for the "European March of Memory and Friendship" "Four Days of the Yser" Commemorative Medal
Current civilian awards	Civic Decoration Honour Badge of Labour Labour Decoration Decoration for Mutuality
Commemorative medals	Commemorative Decoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Creation of the Railroads Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II Commemorative Medal for the 75th Anniversary of the Belgian Postal Service Centenary of National Independence Commemorative Medal Commemorative Medal for the Centenary of the Telegraphic Service Commemorative Medal for the 100th Anniversary of the Belgian Postal Service Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Albert I
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