Médaille militaire

During World War I, 230,000 médailles were awarded, when 1,400,000 French Army soldiers were killed and 3,000,000 wounded. For comparison, the UK Military Medal was awarded on 115,000 occasions in World War I, when 673,375 British Army soldiers were killed and 1,643,469 wounded. There were 628 awards to 627 recipients of the Victoria Cross, the United Kingdom's highest military decoration. The award was first established in 1852 by the first President of the French Republic, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte who may have taken his inspiration from a medal established and awarded by his father, Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland. After the First World War, the Military Medal was also temporarily awarded for wounds received in combat.

• Name — Médaille militaire • Presenter — France • Type — Military decoration • Eligibility — Privates, NCOs, Commanders-in-chief generals and admirals • Awarded For — Valour in combat or long service • Status — Currently awarded • Established — 22 January 1852 • Higher — Order of Liberation • Lower — National Order of Merit • Caption2 — Ribbon of the Military Medal

Like many other French awards, the médaille can be awarded for different reasons. It can be awarded to foreign nationals serving with or alongside the French armed forces. • To members of the military other than commissioned officers (including enlisted ranks, non-commissioned officers and aspirants or Officer Designate). • As an award for valour, it is the second highest award ranking immediately after the Legion of Honour. • As an in between medal for enlisted members, NCO and O(D) awarded the Legion of Honour for "combat actions", nowadays mostly done posthumously. • As a service medal, for long-serving NCOs. • To generals and admirals who have been commanders-in-chief, as a supreme award for leadership. These general officers must already have been awarded the grand cross of the Legion of Honour.

• Illustration — Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, a recipient of the Médaille militaire • Illustration — WW1 African American fighter pilot Eugene Bullard, a recipient of the Médaille militaire • Illustration — Marshal of France, Great Britain and Poland, Ferdinand Foch, a recipient of the Médaille militaire The Médaille militaire was awarded in some number to British and allied forces (allies of the French Empire) during the Crimean War of 1854–1856 and in reasonably large numbers to allied forces in the 1914–1918 war. During the Second World War, the Médaille reached its highest numbers of foreign bestowals, most often to members of the British Army as well as to the United States military. The general's médaille was awarded to Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Josip Broz Tito, as supreme commanders of the UK, US and Yugoslav military forces, but to also effective military leaders, such as General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower, and to Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope.

The individuals listed below were recipients of the "Médaille Militaire: • Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle (posthumous) • Private John Alexander VC • Nurse and resistance fighter Berty Albrecht (posthumous) • Marshal of France (1864) François Achille Bazaine • World War 1 pilot Arthur Bluethenthal (posthumous) • World War 1 African American fighter pilot Eugene Jacques Bullard • Sergeant Louis-Ferdinand Céline • Sergeant Eugène Chavant • Yvonne Chollet (posthumous) • Marshal of France, Great Britain and Poland, Ferdinand Foch • Prime Minister Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill • USMC Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph "Dan" Daly • Private Herman Davis • First sergeant Samuel "Sam" Dreben • President Dwight D. Eisenhower • Rene Joyeuse FFL / OSS (Captain) • Corporal François Faber (posthumous) • Colonel René Paul Fonck • Corporal Edward Foster VC • Russian flying ace Viktor Georgiyevich Fyodorov • Jean Gabin • Police prefect Louis Lépine • General of the Army Douglas MacArthur • Capitaine Georges Felix Madon • World War 2 fighter ace Paul-Joseph de Montgolfier • Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein • Norwegian Crown Prince and Chief of Defence Olav V • Marshal and Prime Minister Alexandros Papagos Greece • Marshal Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain • Corporal Thomas A. Pope Also awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor, the British Distinguished Conduct Medal, and the Croix de guerre for bravery displayed in Hamel, France. • Father of the French Air Force, General Pierre Auguste Roques • President Franklin D. Roosevelt (posthumous) • Master corporal Pierre-Auguste Sarrus • Master corporal Pierre Schoendoerffer • Partisan leader and Prime Minister Josip Broz Tito • Susan Travers - French Foreign Legion • Marthe Cohn • Corporal Clarence Van Allen

• Name — Unit — Rank — Date of effect — Notes • Adrien Moulard — Army, Armored Cavalry — Master Corporal (brigadier-chef) — 20 November 2013 — WIA • Renan Thierry — Army, Armored Cavalry — Master Corporal (brigadier-chef) — 20 November 2013 — WIA • Thomas Guillebaut — Air Force — Master Corporal (caporal chef) — 13 December 2013 — KIA Also knight of the Legion of Honour • John Conte — Army, Foreign Legion — Private First Class (soldat de première classe) — 29 April 2014 — WIA • Geraldino Hoareaeu — Army, Foreign Legion — Private First Class (soldat de première classe) — 29 April 2014 — WIA • Marcel Kalafut — Army, Foreign Legion — Staff Sergeant (sergent-chef) — 12 May 2014 — KIA Also knight of the Legion of Honour • Dejvid Nikolic — Army, Foreign Legion — Master Warrant Officer (adjudant-chef) — 17 July 2014 — WIA Nikolic later died from his wounds and was created knight of the Legion of Honour • Antoine Le Quinio — Army, Troupes de Marine — Corporal (caporal) — 19 July 2014 — KIA Also knight of the Legion of Honour • Nicolas Vokaer — Army, Troupes de Marine — Corporal (caporal) — 19 July 2014 — KIA Also knight of the Legion of Honour • Teiva Li Hip — Army, Troupes de Marine — Corporal (brigadier) — 28 July 2014 — WIA • Alex Tite — Army, Troupes de Marine — Master Corporal 1st class (caporal-chef de première classe) — 28 July 2014 — WIA • Mickaël Galeran — Army, Artillery — Master Corporal (brigadier-chef) — 2 October 2014 — WIA • Thomas Dupuy — Air Force — Warrant Officer (adjudant) — 3 November 2014 — KIA Also knight of the Legion of Honour • Samir Bajja — Armed Forces Fuel Service — Warrant Officer (agent technique en chef) — 3 December 2014 — KIA Also knight of the Legion of Honour • François Fernandez — Army, Signal Corps — Warrant Officer (adjudant) — 5 December 2014 — WIA • Rémy Boullé — Air Force — Master Corporal (caporal-chef) — 16 January 2015 — WIA • Ludovic Sailly — Air Force — Warrant Officer (adjudant) — 30 January 2015 — WIA • Damien Legrand — Air Force — Staff Sergeant (sergent-chef) — 30 January 2015 — WIA • Mathieu Paulet — Air Force — Staff Sergeant (sergent-chef) — 30 January 2015 — WIA • Franck Poirot — Air Force — Master Corporal (caporal-chef) — 30 January 2015 — WIA • Yann Pollet — Army, Corps of Engineers — Staff Sergeant (sergent-chef) — 13 March 2015 — WIA • Aurélie Salel — Army, Corps of Engineers — Sergeant (sergent) — 18 March 2015 — WIA Later died from her wounds and made Knight of the Legion of Honour • Florian Dumont — Army, Corps of Engineers — Master Corporal (caporal-chef) — 4 May 2015 — WIA Later died from his wounds and made Knight of the Legion of Honour • Nicolas Caron — Army — Staff Sergeant (sergent-chef) — 16 October 2015 — WIA