You’ve probably seen it in old black-and-white photos or tucked away in a grandparent's velvet-lined box. A bronze cross, four arms, two crossed swords peeking out from the angles. It looks official. It looks heavy. That is the Croix de Guerre, and honestly, it’s one of the most misunderstood pieces of military history out there.
People often call it "the French Medal of Honor." That's not quite right. While the Medal of Honor is incredibly rare, the Croix de Guerre was handed out by the millions. But don't let the numbers fool you. It wasn't a "participation trophy." To get one, you had to be mentioned in dispatches—basically, a commander had to write down that you did something specifically brave under fire. It's a medal born from the mud and blood of the 1914 trenches, created because the French realized their existing honors were too stiff and formal for the industrial-scale heroism of the Great War.
What People Get Wrong About the "Cross of War"
If you find a Croix de Guerre at an estate sale, you're looking at a puzzle. First off, there isn't just one. There’s the 1914-1918 version, the 1939-1945 version, and even one for "Overseas Theaters of Operations" (TOE) used in places like Indochina and Korea. If you see a 1914 medal with a 1939 ribbon, someone’s been messing with it. Or they were just resourceful.
The real magic is in the ribbon attachments.
Most folks ignore the tiny pins stuck to the green and red silk, but that’s where the actual story lives. A small bronze star means you were mentioned at the regiment or brigade level. A silver star? That’s a division-level mention. If you see a bronze palm leaf, that’s the big one—a mention at the Army level. If someone has multiple palms, they were basically a legend in their unit. For example, the legendary American "Harlem Hellfighters" (the 369th Infantry Regiment) didn't just receive individual medals; the entire unit was awarded the Croix de Guerre with a silver palm.
Think about that.
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An entire regiment of Black soldiers, facing systemic racism at home, were so effective on the front lines that the French military gave the whole group one of their highest honors. It’s a staggering bit of history that often gets glossed over in standard American textbooks.
The Foreigners Who Earned It
One thing that surprises people is how many non-French citizens own this medal. France was generous with it, especially to allies. If you were a US Doughboy in 1918 and your unit was attached to a French division, there was a high chance you’d end up with a Croix de Guerre if you survived a major push.
Take Cher Ami. Cher Ami wasn't a soldier. Cher Ami was a pigeon.
Specifically, a homing pigeon for the US Army 77th Division. During the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, she flew through a hail of bullets, despite being shot in the breast and losing a leg, to deliver a message that saved 194 men of the "Lost Battalion." The French didn't care that she had feathers; they gave her the Croix de Guerre with a palm anyway. It’s a weird, beautiful example of how the medal rewarded "bravery" in whatever form it appeared.
Then you have someone like Josephine Baker. Yes, that Josephine Baker—the world-famous dancer. During WWII, she used her celebrity status as cover to smuggle intelligence for the French Resistance. She’d write messages in invisible ink on her sheet music. When the war ended, she was awarded the Croix de Guerre (1939-1945) for her work. It wasn't just for guys in trenches. It was for anyone who stood up when the Republic was under the boot.
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How to Verify an Award (The Hard Part)
Here is the frustrating reality: there is no single, searchable database for every Croix de Guerre recipient.
If you’re trying to find out if your great-uncle actually won one, you’re going to have to do some legwork. Because the medal was tied to "citations" (mentions in dispatches), the record is usually buried in the unit's war diaries (Journal de Marche et Opérations) or the individual’s service records.
- For US Veterans: Check their "Final Draft" or discharge papers (Form WD AGO 53-55). It should be listed under "Decorations and Citations."
- For French Veterans: You need to head to the Service Historique de la Défense (SHD) in Vincennes. It's a bit of a bureaucratic maze.
- The Ribbon Rule: If you see a red and green striped ribbon, that's WWI. If it's red with green stripes on the edges and a vertical one in the middle, that's WWII.
The Fourragère: The "Shoulder Rope"
Ever see a Marine or an Army soldier wearing a braided cord over their left shoulder? That’s the Fourragère. It’s a permanent part of the uniform for certain units, like the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments. They wear it because their unit won the Croix de Guerre so many times in WWI that the French granted the entire unit the right to wear the cord. It’s a "collective" version of the medal. If you leave the unit, you stop wearing it, unless you were actually there when the unit earned it. Then it's yours for life.
Why Collectors Get Burned
The market for these medals is flooded with "put-togethers." Since the bronze crosses themselves were mass-produced by various private jewelers as well as the Paris Mint, there are dozens of subtle variations in the strike.
A "mint" marked version (with a tiny cornucopia stamp) is generally more desirable. But the real value isn't the metal. It’s the provenance. A Croix de Guerre without a name or a citation is just a $40 piece of history. A Croix de Guerre with a verified citation to a member of the French Resistance or a frontline medic? That’s a story worth thousands.
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Practical Steps for Researching a Medal
If you have a Croix de Guerre in your hand and want to know where it came from, don't just Google the name. Start with the unit.
- Identify the year on the back (1914-1915, 1914-1916, 1914-1917, or 1914-1918). This tells you when the medal was struck.
- Look at the attachments on the ribbon. Note the colors and shapes of the stars or palms.
- Request the soldier's Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) from the National Archives if they were American.
- Search the "Journal Officiel de la République Française" on the Gallica website. It's all in French, but you can search for surnames.
The Croix de Guerre remains a symbol of a very specific kind of courage—the kind that gets noticed by a superior officer in the heat of a moment that most people would rather forget. Whether it was pinned on a general, a private, or a pigeon, it represents a moment where someone decided to be more than a victim of the war. They decided to be a participant.
Next Steps for Your Research
Start by examining the reverse side of the medal to confirm the conflict era. Once you have the date, look for the soldier's discharge papers; specifically, look for the phrase "French Croix de Guerre" in the "Decorations" box. If you find it, your next move is to locate the specific "General Order" number, which acts as the official birth certificate for that award and contains the written description of the brave act itself.