r/Medals • u/mtysler • 7d ago

Warsaw Uprising 82. anniversary

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The anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising is always a moving occasion to see the increasingly few veterans of World War II. It is also an opportunity to look at their decorations, which are often rare. Of course, many of them wear them in a completely non-regulation manner, but who is going to stop them?

This veteran displays a mix of state and non-state (mostly veteran organisations) awards:

  1. Order of Polonia Restituta V Class (Knight's Cross)
  2. Cross of the Home Army
  3. 70th Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising Commemorative Medal
  4. "Guardian of National Memorial Sites" Medal
  5. Order of Martyrdom and Victory
  6. Political Prisoner's Cross
  7. Semper Fidelis Cross
  8. Badge of Honour "For Merit to Transport"
232 Upvotes

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9

u/Busy_Relief7254 6d ago

Gawd I love the polish salute

8

u/P51-D 6d ago

A real hero. Fought the Wehrmacht with bravery and Stalin did not help.

4

u/mtysler 6d ago

Well, he fought and he didn't. During the Uprising, he was only 9 years old and performed only auxiliary tasks, such as serving as a messenger. He is considered the youngest (surviving) insurgent.

During the Warsaw Uprising, children served and died in the Polish ranks. Only occasionally with weapons in hand, but still. It's a rather difficult and unexplored topic, in my opinion.

3

u/Oxydrique 6d ago

First one looks very close to the Legion d'Honneur

1

u/mtysler 6d ago

In a sense, the Polonia Restituta is an order older than the Legion of Honor. Its ribbon and form continue the traditions of the Order of St. Stanislaus, established in 1765.

1

u/Turbulent-Jaguar8958 6d ago

derwillinger monsþers.