Luxembourg War Cross

Luxembourg War Cross
The Luxembourg War Cross
Awarded by Luxembourg
Type	Military decoration
Awarded for	liberating Luxembourg from German occupation.
Status	Not currently awarded
Statistics
Established	17 April 1945
Precedence
Next (higher)	Military Medal
Equivalent	Luxembourg War Cross (1951)
Next (lower)	Order of Resistance
The Luxembourg War Cross ribbon bar Luxembourg War Cross Unit award Unit award streamer

The Luxembourg War Cross is a military decoration of Luxembourg. It was first created on 17 April 1945 by the Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg.^[1][2] The War Cross recognizes military service and feats of bravery performed between the years of 1940 and 1945.^[1][2] The medal is often referred to as the Luxembourg Croix de guerre, French for War Cross, as French is one of Luxembourg's three official languages.^[3]

Luxembourg bestowed the War Cross on both Luxembourg citizens and members of the Allied Forces for acts of particular bravery or valor during the Liberation of Luxembourg.^[3] The War Cross could also be awarded to military units.^[4][5] The Luxembourg War Cross was one of the rarest foreign decorations bestowed on allied troops due to the small number of combat operations that took place in Luxembourg—in contrast to major fighting in places like Belgium, France, and Germany.^{[citation needed]}

Medal

The medal is a dark bronze cross in the Cross pattée design.^[2] On the obverse side it has a crown with a large letter "C" on it.^[1][2] The reverse side of it has the number "1940".^[1][2] The cross has crossed swords running inside it, also made of the dark bronze.^[1][2]

Unit Citation

When awarded to US Military units members of the unit wear the award in the form of a blue and yellow ribbon, enclosed within a gold frame. To represent the unit's receipt of the award a streamer in the same colors as the ribbon is carried on the unit's standard.^[6]

References