Cross of Valour (Krzyz Walecznych) - Exile Types

[andrzejku98]

Hello Stefan & Iron Hussar,

By Presidential Decree of 20th December 1941, a change was introduced to the ribbon of the Cross of Valour to differentiate between the 1920 version and those awarded in the Second World War. The colours of the ribbon were reversed: the main colour was white with amaranth coloured stripes.

Hope that this helps

Best wishes

Andrzej

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Hi guys, Andrzej is correct. The 1920 date was retained for the Cross of Valour by the Polish exiled government (with the exception of the 1940 cross produced for the 2DSP interned in Switzerland) and only the ribbon colours were reversed.

The 1939 dated cross was issued with the Polish 2nd Republic pattern ribbon. So the ribbons are correct for each cross. No need for any swapping.


I mentioned the ribbon with Stefan’s Middle Eastern made cross only because it appears to be the original Palestinian made ribbon that came with the cross. These ribbons have characteristically darker red stripes and a courser weave. An original issue ribbon is always preferable to a replacement.

Cheers,
Tony

[stefanr]

Hi guys
The second cross I posted, the one with the documentation, does £185.00 sound about right?
Kind regards
Stefan

[Iron Hussar]

There is a nice 1920 example like yours - though without documentation - for sale locally here for around £95 (but currently has no bids). The 1944 version seems to have much lower pricing, but obviously originality is the key.

Documentation always pushes the price up, and the one you are looking at has a good early date also.

[A.J. Zawadzki]

It’s sometimes easier authenticating an item than pinpointing market value, but in this instance I’d say that would be a dealer’s ‘full retail’ price. Considering the cross is genuine, appears to be on its issue ribbon, and complete with an award document, the price doesn’t strike me as being way over the top. But keep in mind that neither item is particularly scarce, so you might be able to do better with some patience. Decisions, decisions, who said collecting was easy?

Cheers,
Tony

[A.J. Zawadzki]

. . . The 1944 version seems to have much lower pricing, but obviously originality is the key . . .

True, originality is always a concern, but less so with the communist era 1944 issues. Generally speaking, the lower pricing for these crosses reflects both abundance and lower collector interest.

[Jan Szczygie]

Hi

I wonder if any of the knowledgable people here can help me, I am trying to identify my fathers medal ribbons from a black and white photograph and wondered if one of them may be the Cross of Valour (Krzyz Walecznych). I have attached a photo below there are two ribbons and another "decoration" above them with a star. Any information would be gratefully received thank you.

Regards
Jan

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Hello Jan and welcome to the forum.

Yes, your father was awarded the Cross of Valour. The ribbon next to it represents the Polish Medal for War 1939-45. The ribbon bar above with the single star indicates that he was wounded once in the course of his service.

Please feel free to tell us about your father’s service in the Polish Armed Forces in the West

Regards,
Tony

[Jan Szczygie]

Hello Tony

Warning long post, sorry!

Thank you for your welcome and the information, I have wondered about those medal ribbons for a considerable time, my father died in 1990 and I have all of his possessions. I have his Armii Krajowej Cross and various documents, photographs etc. but nothing relating to the medals on the picture. I once asked him if he had medals other than the AK Cross and he told me he did but didn't want to (couldn't?) pay for them. I accepted this at the time but now find it curious.

My father was 15 when the war started and 16 that same month. He told me he got into AK through the scout movement and was used mainly as a messenger and smuggler during the first part of the occupation. He told me of smuggling food, documents and even some weapons into the Jewish Ghetto, he was chosen he said because he was small and "looked" German. How and when he transitioned from courier to Starazy Strzelec I don't know but when the Rising started he was in Zgr. Sosna bat. Chrobry I. He fought in the old town, he was wounded several times but mainly minor. When the old town fell he went out through the sewers and the remnants of his unit were attached to Zgr. Chrobry II.

He became a POW following the capitulation and went to Lamsdorf, was nearly shot for refusing to work because of a shrapnel wound to his leg (this may be THE wound) . He was then in a group that was marched back to Germany in one of the infamous "death marches"

He was eventually liberated by the Americans and went with them into Berlin, he then heard the British were recruiting Poles for the Commando's, so tried to join but was turned down. He decided to smuggle himself onto the trucks transporting the recruits and various materials to Italy. initially he was underneath one of the trucks and then managed to get himself inside one the trucks with equipment in. This way he made the journey to Italy, on arrival he was discovered and they decided he would be suitable after all. He completed his commando training in Italy and then was transported to England, he contacted his mother who replied and told him not to come home as returning soldiers were being shot or sent to Siberia.

He was transferred to the Polish Resettlement Corps and was fully demobbed in 1949, he never returned to Poland, never saw his mother again, although they did write and I remember Babcia sent us sugar when there was shortage in England and candles when the power cuts came because of strikes. He did get to see the rise of Solidarnosc, Lech Walesa, the fall of the Berlin wall, unfortunately he didn't get to see Poland liberated in 1990 and the end of WWII.

He received his AK Cross in 1970, which I have with it's Legitymacja Nr. 9154.

Thanks again for the information and the opportunity to tell a little bit of his story. It was very emotional writing it, even after all this time and very cathartic too.

Regards
Jan

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Hello again Jan,

Thank you for sharing some of your father's story. He certainly experienced some adventures, in particular having survived the Warsaw Uprising as a combatant. He was a witness to hell on earth there. Like your father, mine and so many others also opted not to return to Poland as word was getting out about ill treatment returning soldiers were receiving. A couple of weeks ago I met a fellow militaria collector here at a gathering of hobbyists. His father also served in the 2nd Corps and did choose to return to Poland. He told me that on arrival at the port of Gdynia in full uniform he was hustled off to interrogation where the epaulettes of his uniform were torn off. He was imprisoned for several months and was one of the lucky ones not shipped off to forced labour in the Soviet Gulag.

We'd love to see your father photos, documents, and any other souvenirs from his wartime service, so please don't hesitate to post them.

Regards,
Tony

Many thanks again