In August 1920, the Red Army approached Warsaw. The very existence of Poland and much of Europe hung in the balance. Pilsudski made his stand at Warsaw. The battle of Warsaw was won by the Polish Army with help from Polish citizens. Many called it a miracle. The Red Army was defeated and forced to retreat, saving Europe in the process. A Peace Treaty between Poland and the Bolsheviks came into effect in 1921. The Soviets returned in 1939 and exacted revenge when it and Germany co-invaded Poland.
Many of the awards of the 2nd Republic reflect the heroic fight for Polish Independence and the Victory over the Communists, 1918-1921. Originally awarded before the 1795 partition of Poland, the Order of the White Eagle and the Order of Virtuti Militari were revived. Other awards such as Order of Polonia Restituta, the Independence Cross and Medal, the Cross of Valour and the Cross of Merit were new awards.
THE ORDER OF PRECEDENCE OF THE
ORDERS AND MEDALS OF
THE II REPUBLIC OF POLAND, 1918-1939:
1.
Order of the White Eagle
2.
Order of Virtuti Militari I class
3.
Order of Virtuti Militari II class
4.
Order of Virtuti Militari III class
5.
Order of Virtuti Militari IV class
6.
Order of Virtuti Militari V class
7.
Order of Polonia Restituta I class
8.
Order of Polonia Restituta II class
9.
Order of Polonia Restituta III class
10.
Cross of Independence with or without Swords
11.
Order of Polonia Restituta IV class
12.
Order of Polonia Restituta V class
13.
Cross of Valour
14.
Cross for War Volunteers
15.
Cross of Merit for Bravery
16.
Gold Cross of Merit
17.
Independence Medal
18.
Medal for War Volunteers
19.
Silver Cross of Merit
20.
Bronze Cross of Merit
21.
Cross of Merit of the Central Lithuanian Army
22.
Silesian Cross on Ribbon of Merit
23.
Medal for Rescuing the Perishing
24.
1918-1921 War Medal
25
Gold Academic Laureate Medal
26.
Silver Academic Laureate Medal .
27.
10th Anniversary of Independence
28.
3rd of May Medal
29.
Gold 30 year Long Service Medal (Never awarded)
30.
Silver 20 year Long Service Medal
31.
Bronze 10 year Long Service Medal
RIBBONS
Order of the White Eagle, Sash, Badge and Star of the Order.
Poland's highest Order, awarded only to the most outstanding Poles and
to some Foreign Leaders. Originals are extremely rare, but quality
replicas like this one can be found.
Image courtesy of Darek, e-mail: michalskid@home.com
II Republic Awards: Order of Virtuti Militari; Independence Cross;
Order of Polonia Restituta; 1918-1921 War Medal. The Virtuti Militari
was awarded for extremely outstanding acts of bravery. The Independence
Cross is a high ranking Decoration awarded to those who made significant
contributions to the cause of Polish Independence up to 1921, excluding
the Polish-Soviet War. The Order Polonia Restituta was awarded in
5 classes to those who made contributions in a number of areas that benefited
Poland. The 1918-21 War Medal was awarded to those who served in
the War against the Bolsheviks.
Cross of Valour, awarded for Bravery. Can be awarded multiple
time, each additional award denoted with a bar on the ribbon.
Independence Medal; 10th Anniversary of Independence; 10 Years of Service
(II Republic)
As with the Independence Cross, the Medal was awarded for acts contributing
to Polish Independence up to 1921, excluding the the Polish-Soviet War.
The 10th Anniversary of Independence was awarded in 1928 to those with
5 years Civil Service or Military Service. The 10 Years of Service
Medal was awarded starting in 1938 to those who served in Public or Military
Service for 10 years. See 20 year Medal below.
20 Years Service (Hallmarked Silver) | Cross of Merit of the Central Lithuanian Army (copy). | Cross of Merit 1st class.
Note the lack of "cut-outs" between the arms of this version. Marked "A. Nagalski, Warsaw" on reverse. |
Life Saving medal. "ZA RATOWANIE GINACYCH" on reverse.
Photo courtesy of Auctions H.D. Rauch http://www.hdrauch.com/
, used by permission.
Silesian Cross on Ribbon of Merit. First awarded with the medal
but changed to a ribbon only award, later to be changed back to a medal
award. Three versions exist. First version is like the one
shown. 2nd version was a commemorative first awarded in 1927.
The 3rd version looks like the first one, but has an additional "5 PP RYBN"
on the reverse (5th Regiment of the city of Rybnik).
A silver star on the ribbon denotes a "1st Class" award (given to active
Combatants).
Cross for the defense of Lwow; Orleta Decoration. The Lwow Defense
Cross was awarded to those who helped defend the city between November
1 and November 22, 1918. Three versions exist. The first has
no swords or Virtuti Militari. Later, after the city of Lwow was
awarded the Virtuti Militari, two other versions emerged: One with
a small Virtuti Militari on the lower arm and the other with the Virtuti
Militari on the lower arm and crossed swords (on the side arms).
The Orleta (Eaglets) Decoration was awarded to the Polish school children
of Lwow who fought bravely in the defense of the city. Both of these
awards (and many others) fall into the category of "Commemorative Decorations"
awarded mainly by organizations. Commemorative Decorations were awarded
for such areas as the Defense of Lwow, the Silesian and Wielkopolski Uprisings,
and other areas like Wolyn, the Belorussian front and Central Lithuania..