Medal of the Armed Resistance 1940–1945

Belgian war medal

Award

Resistance Medal 1940–1945

Resistance Medal 1940–1945 (obverse)

Type| War medal
Awarded for| Service in the resistance or in undercover intelligence gathering
Presented by|  Belgium
Eligibility| Belgian citizens
Status| No longer awarded
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

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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)

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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
* Josephine Baker

## See also

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* Belgium portal

* Resistance during World War II
* Resistance movement
* Orders, decorations, and medals of Belgium

## References

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1. ^ a b c Royal Decree of the Regent of 16 February 1946 creating the 1940–1945 Resistance Medal, Belgian Defence Ministry, 1946-02-16
2. ^ "Recipients of the Resistance medal compiled from the ARS MORIENDI web site" (in French). ARS MORIENDI. 2012-07-06. Archived from the original on 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2012-09-12.

## Other sources

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* 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

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* Bibliothèque royale de Belgique (In French)
* Les Ordres Nationaux Belges (In French)
* ARS MORIENDI Notables from Belgian history Archived 2011-09-06 at the Wayback Machine (In French and Dutch)

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Orders, decorations, and medals of Belgium

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World War II
& Korean War|

* War Cross 1940–45
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* 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 1940–1945 War
* Foreign Operational Theatres Commemorative Medal

Current
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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
* Commemorative Medal for the "European March of Memory and Friendship"
* "Four Days of the Yser" Commemorative Medal

Belgian Red Cross|

* Order of the Belgian Red Cross
* Blood Donour's Medal
* 1940–1945 Cross of Honour of the Belgian Red Cross
* 1940–1945 Belgian Red Cross Decoration

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