War Cross (Norway)

The cross was established on May 23, 1941 by King Haakon VII , who was in exile in London .

Initially, the cross could also be awarded without a sword on a ribbon, as a reward for special merits in wartime without participating in hostilities. Since May 18, 1945, the Military Cross can be assigned only to military personnel for actions in combat conditions, therefore, all subsequent awards are made with “swords”. The Cross of Freedom of King Haakon VII, established on the same day, began to serve as a reward for outstanding achievements outside of hostilities.

The military cross marked the merits during the war from 1940 to 1945 and the awards were stopped in 1949 .

On June 26, 1996, the conditions of the award were changed: since that time, the presentation of the award became possible for feats committed after 1945. In 2011, three Norwegian soldiers (one posthumously) were awarded the Military Cross for their courage and outstanding command during the international operation in Afghanistan in 2009 . Two more Norwegian officers were awarded the Military Cross for their services in Afghanistan in 2013 ^[1] and one in 2014 ^[2] . Also in 2014, another officer was awarded for the services of twenty years ago during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina ^[3] .

Among the Norwegians awarded the Military Cross:

• King Haakon VII ;
• Crown Prince Ulaf ;
• Gunnar Sönsteby (Military Cross with three swords) - member of the Norwegian Resistance movement;
• Max Manus (Military Cross with two swords) - member of the Norwegian Resistance movement;
• Turstein Robu - participant of the Norwegian Resistance movement, traveler, participant of the expedition on the Kon-Tiki raft;
• Knut Haugland (Military Cross with two swords) - a participant in the Norwegian Resistance movement, a traveler, a member of the Kon-Tiki raft expedition .

Since the establishment of the Military Cross, 126 foreigners and 7 military units have also been awarded. Most of the awards were made for services during the defense of Norway in 1940.

Number of awarded countries:

• 155 - Norway (of which 1 in 2009, 3 in 2011, 2 in 2013 and 2 in 2014);
• 66 - France (mainly members of the Foreign Legion and Alpine shooters , including Dmitry Amilahvari );
• 42 - Great Britain (including King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth );
• 13 - Poland (including Vladislav Sikorsky );
• 2 - USA ;
• 1 - Denmark (while serving in the Royal Air Force of Norway );
• 1 - Greece (King George II );
• 1 - Canada ;
• 7 military units of the French army. At a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Oslo , held on June 7, 1946, a Military Cross with a sword was attached to the banners of these units fighting at the Battle of Narvik .

• The sign is a bronze clover-free cross enamel with a size of 43 by 43 mm. On the obverse, in the center of the cross, under the royal crown, is a shield with the emblem of Norway - the Norwegian crowned lion with an ax in its front legs. The reverse is flat.
• The ribbon is red, in the center is a blue stripe with thin white stripes at the edges.
• The cross is worn on the left side of the chest and placed in front of other awards.
• On some types of clothing, miniature rewards may be worn.

• Awards of Norway

• War Cross - Krigskorset (Nor.) . Date of treatment January 7, 2013. Archived January 27, 2013.
• The Norwegian Military Cross Award List - Fullstendig tildelingsliste for Krigskorset (Norwegian) . Date of treatment April 6, 2013. Archived on April 19, 2013.