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Home , Aiguillette, Croix de Guerre

ROPE OF COURAGE: A BRIEF LOOK AT THE FRENCH FOURRAGÈRE

GRAHAM WILSON

A ceremonial item seen on both and orders at a particular level for some act of gallantry or United States Marine uniforms is a braided colored distinguished service in combat. The various levels of cord, with a aiguillette suspended from the end, worn award were signified by attachments (of which more around the left shoulder.1 than one could be worn) for the medal ribbon, namely:

This item is the fourragère, a dress item originally , or other unit – bronze star established for the French forces in , and – then later extended to include World War II and conflicts Army Corps – gilt star other than the world wars.2 Fourragère are widely worn Army – bronze palm in the French forces as ceremonial items of dress, some not directly related to decorations. The aim of this article, As with individuals, so with units and formations, which however, is to discuss the system of fourragère that are could also be cited in military orders. On April 21, 1916, worn to indicate various levels of collective decoration it was announced that a special insignia had been created awards made to military units. to be awarded to units, formations or ships that had been cited in orders at Army level (i.e. equivalent to an award The fourragère itself consists of a braided double rope of the Croix de guerre with palm) more than once. This (except see below for the fourragère of the Order of the insignia was to take the form of a plaited shoulder cord Liberation) in the colors of a particular medal ribbon, in the color of the ribbon of the Croix de guerre, i.e. the terminating in either one or two (depending on level of fourragère. award) free ends to which are attached metal aiguillettes. The system was modified on February 22, 1918 with World War I – Croix de guerre 1914-1918 the issue of Memorandum No. 2156D. This document was issued in recognition that many units of the French The fourragère as a unit award emblem grew directly out Army and Navy had been cited at Army or Navy level of the creation of the Croix de guerre (War Cross) in 1915. so many times that there needed to be a system better The Croix de guerre was created to fill a gap in the French than the original simple fourragère in the colors of the honors and awards system that had been revealed by the ribbon of the Croix de guerre. To address this issue, outbreak of World War I and was specifically established the memorandum decreed that for multiple citations, as a visible sign that wearer had been cited in military fourragère would be worn in the colors of the Croix de

Figure 1: The various combinations of World War I fourragère based on the number of citations in Army level orders.

32 JOMSA guerre, the Médaille militaire (Military Medal) or the allow its award for actions in the colonies. This request Légion d’honneur (Legion of Honor), depending on the was rejected for several reasons. However, recognising number of citations in Army level orders, as follows: the need for a similar award to be available for combat action in the colonies, on April, 30 1921 the French Units cited 2-3 times, fourragère in the colors of the Government passed a law creating the Croix de guerre des Croix de guerre (green and red) Théâtres d’Opérations Extérieurs or the Croix de guerre Units cited 4-5 times, fourragère in the colors of the TOE (War Cross for External Theatres of Operations). Médaille militaire (yellow and green) Units cited 6-8 times, fourragère in the color of the The obverse of the Croix de Guerre TOE is identical Légion d’honneur (red) Units cited 9-11 times, double fourragère in the colors to that of the Croix de Guerre 1914-1918 and the same of Légion d’honneur and Croix de guerre system of stars and palms is used to signify the various Units cited 12-14 times, double fourragère in the colors levels of citations. The ribbon of the Croix de Guerre TOE of the Légion d’honneur and Médaille militaire is light blue with broad outer stripes of red. The Croix de Units cited 15 or more times, double fourragère in the Guerre TOE has been awarded for actions in the Levant color of the Légion d’honneur from 1918-1919; Indochina 1918-1920; Morocco 1918; French Equatorial Africa 1919; French West Africa 1918- These combinations are illustrated in Figure 1. The 1921; Indochina 1918-1922; pre-World War II military regulations stated that members of a cited unit who missions to the Baltic States, Upper Silesia, Poland, were actually serving with the unit at the time of the Czechoslovakia, Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia, Hungary award were entitled to wear the fourragère permanently. and Rumania; Indochina 1945-1954; Madagascar 1947; Persons posted into the unit subsequently could and can Korea 1950-1953; Middle East (Egypt) 1956; Persian only wear the fourragère while actually serving on the Gulf 1991-1992; Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1999; strength of the unit. Lebanon 2006-ongoing; Afghanistan 2007-ongoing.

One bit of confusion that needs to be cleared up at this As with the Croix de guerre 1914-1918, the regulations point is the difference between the award of fourragère to for the Croix de guerre TOE allow for units to be cited a unit and award of an actual decoration. The fourragère at various levels, including at Army (bronze palm) level. simply recognises that the unit had or has been cited In recognition of this, the French Government created a more than once in Army (or the equivalent Navy) level fourragère of the Croix de guerre TOE via Memorandum orders, i.e. a fourragère is equivalent to a unit having No. 14471M of July 9, 1926. The design of the new award been awarded the Croix de guerre two or more times but was identical to that of World War I, with the exception does not mean that the unit has been physically presented that the colors are those of the ribbon of the Croix de with a Croix de guerre. Apart from fourragère, however, guerre TOE, i.e. light blue and red. Again recognising the French system does actually allow for units to be that certain units might be cited quite a number of times, physically awarded a decoration, which is pinned to the and to bring the Croix de guerre TOE into line with the unit color or flag. It is technically possible for a unit to Croix de guerre 1914-1918, Memorandum 2504M of 30 have been or be awarded a decoration, say the Médaille December 1926 authorised fourragère for the Croix de militaire, but never receive a fourragère.3 guerre TOE in different combinations, as follows:

A total of 792 awards of the fourragère 1914-1918 were Units cited 2-3 times, fourragère in the colors of the made at the various levels, including 681 to the Army, 21 Croix de guerre TOE (light blue and red) to the Navy, 62 to the Air Force and 28 to foreign units. Units cited 4-5 times, fourragère in the colors of the Medaille militaire with an ‘olive’ in the colors of Between and After the World Wars – Croix de the Croix de guerre TOE above the aiguillette Units cited 6-8 times, fourragère in the color of the guerre TOE Légion d’honneur with an ‘olive’ in the colors of the Croix de guerre TOE above the aiguillette While World War I ended physically in November 1918 Units cited 9-11 times, double fourragère in the colors and actually in June 1919, still had numerous of Légion d’honneur and Croix de guerre TOE colonies in the Levant, Africa and Southeast Asia, and as is the way with colonies, the natives often got restless, ‘Olives’ need to be explained, as they impact not just on meaning that the French forces in fractious colonies the fourragère of the Croix de guerre TOE, but also on the were not quite as at peace as the forces in the Metropole. Croix de guerre 1939. Olives are acorn shaped devices, Colonial commanders petitioned the government to approximately 2.5cm long and 1.5cm wide at their extend the award of the Croix de guerre 1914-1918 to Vol. 62, No. 2 (March-April 2011) 33 Figure 2: Types of ‘olives’ for the fourragère 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. widest point; olives may be made of woven silk, cotton, to have been made to date, including 90 to the Army, 28 or synthetic fibre, of colored plastic or of painted metal to the Navy and 34 to the Air Force. Since the fourragère and are hollow to allow them to be threaded onto the TOE was for France’s colonial wars, obviously no awards cord of a fourragère. When the fourragère for the Croix were ever made to foreign units. de guerre TOE was authorised, it was clear that some method of differentiating a fourragère of the Croix de World War II – Croix de guerre 1939 guerre 1914-1918 from one of the Croix de guerre TOE was required. The solution, as seen from the list above, At the outbreak of World War II a new version of the was to add an olive in the colors of the ribbon of the Croix de guerre was authorized. The subject of the Croix Croix de guerre TOE. Olives would be authorised once de guerre 1939 is incredibly complex, encompassing more following the end of World War II (see Figure 2). a large number of players, including the 1939 French Government, the Free French movement of General de Shown at Figure 3 is the basic fourragère in the colors Gaulle, the Vichy Government and even Admiral Darlan of the Croix de guerre TOE and a fourragère in the color in North Africa, and is far too complex to go into in this of the Légion d’honneur with the olive in the colors of article. Suffice it to say that the Free French movement Croix de guerre TOE authorised for a unit cited 6-8 times. triumphed and became the legitimate government of A total of 152 awards of the fourragère TOE are known France. In 1945, in Ministry of War Memorandum No. 5.760 Cab:Mil:Dec of April 20, 1945, the French Government established a fourragère for World War II, but specified that it would be in the colors of the Croix de guerre 1914-1918. The Memorandum specified that in order to indicate whether a fourragère had been awarded simply for World War II service or for a combination of World War I and World War II service, a new system of ‘olives’ (see above) was to be adopted. The Memorandum directed that units awarded a fourragère for World War II would wear the fourragère of the Croix de guerre 1914- 1918 with olives in combinations of the ribbon colors of the Croix de guerre 1939-45, the Medaille militaire and the Légion d’honneur attached just above the aiguillette to signify numbers of awards. In the case of units that had already been awarded a fourragère for World War I, olives in the colors of the various grades for that war were also authorised, to be worn on the fourragère in combination with World War II olives, but worn closest to the aiguillette to signify seniority.4

The appendix to Memorandum 5.760 Cab:Mil:Dec showing the authorised arrangements of olives is recreated in the table at the top of the next page.

Figure 4 shows, from left to right, a fourragère 1939 with Figure 3: Basic fourragère in the colors of the Croix de guerre TOE and the Légion d’honneur. olive indicating a World War II award; fourragère of the

34 JOMSA Mèdaille militaire with multiple olives indicating award l’Ordre de la Libération of the fourragère for both the Croix de guerre and the The last and latest fourragère to be created and conferred Mèdaille militaire in World War I and the Croix de guerre is that of l’Ordre de la Libération (the Order of the in World War II; and fourragère of the Legion d’honneur Liberation). This decoration was created on November with olives for fourragère for the Croix de guerre and 16, 1940 by General de Gaulle. The aim of the Order was Legion d’honneur in World War War One and fourragère to “reward people, or military or civilian communities, for the Croix de guerre, Mèdaille militaire and Legion who will have distinguished themselves in the work of d’honneur for World War II. A total of 260 awards of liberating France and her Empire.” There are no criteria the fourragère 1939-1945 were made, including 75 to connected with the Order relating to age, sex, rank, origin the Army, 61 to the Navy, 38 to the Air Force and 86 to or nationality, nor are there any specific requirements foreign units. in the nature of the deeds, apart from their exceptional quality. The Order has a single grade, Companion of the Liberation (Compagnon de la Libération) and General de Gaulle, the founder of the Order, has been the only Grand Maître (Grand Master) of the Order.

The second highest French decoration, ranking immediately after the Légion d’honneur, and perhaps the most exclusive of modern French awards, it was awarded to only 1036 individuals before the last award was made on January 23, 1946 (the Order was re-opened twice to honor foreign personalities who helped liberate France, namely war-time British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill in 1958 and the late King George VI in 1960, bringing the total to 1038).

Apart from individuals, however, and in accordance with the original statutes for the Order, eighteen units of the and five French communities had also been decorated with l’Ordre de la Libération, namely: Army

Battailon de marche n°2 13e Demi-brigade de Légion étrangère Battailon d’infanterie de marine et du Pacifique Régiment de marche du Tchad 2e Régiment d’infanterie coloniale 1er Régiment d’artillerie coloniale 1/3e Régiment d’artillerie coloniale 1er Régiment de marche de spahis marocains Figure 4: Fourragère with various ‘olives’.

Vol. 62, No. 2 (March-April 2011) 35 501e Régiment de chars de combat

Air Force

1ére Escadrille de chasse Régiment de chasse ‘Normandie-Niemen’ 2e Régiment de chasseurs parachutistes de l’Armée de l’air Groupe de bombardement ‘Lorraine’ Groupe de chasse ‘Ile-de-France’ Groupe de chasse ‘’

Navy

Sous-marin Rubis Corvette Aconit 1er Régiment des fusiliers marins

Communities

Grenoble Nantes Paris Vassieux-en-Vercors Figure 5: Fourragère of l’Ordre de la Libération. Île de Sein permanently, while personnel posting into the unit at a By a decree of February 23, 1996, the Minister for later date may only wear the fourragère while physically Defense of the French Republic created a fourragère posted to the unit. The rules for the fourragère 1914- for l’Ordre de la Libération, specifically as a means to 1918 are a bit more stringent, however, specifying that to ensure that the Order would have a permanent physical have permanent entitlement to wear a unit’s fourragère place in France. On June 18, 1996, in a ceremonial a person must have been serving with the unit during parade at Mont Valérien, the President of the Republic every engagement for which it was cited, i.e. for a basic presented the fourragère of l’Ordre de la Libération to fourragère awarded for two citations in Army orders, a the commanders of seventeen units (or units that had soldier must have been present at both actions cited. If inherited the traditions of previous units) that had been the soldier had been present for only one action, he was decorated with the Order and conferred upon those units required to cease wearing the fourragère when he ceased the right to wear the fourragère. to be a member of the unit. On transfer from the decorated a unit, a member entitled to wear the unit’s fourragère Visually, the fourragère of l’Ordre de la Libération permanently would have this confirmed in writing by the differs markedly from the other fourragère discussed in unit commanding and the regulations stipulate that that instead of being a braided double cord it consists in such cases the fourragère would have a metal slider of two cords in the black and green color of the ribbon carrying the unit number attached above the aiguillette. of the Order, stitched together (one cord is longer than the other and ends in a gilt aiguillette). Attached to the These stringent eligibility criteria and regulations for hanging end of the single cord, just below the ‘hangman’s wear also pertain to the fourragère for both the Croix de knot’ and above the aiguillette is a miniature emblem of guerre TOE and Croix de guerre 1939. Figure 6 shows the Order. The fourragère of l’Ordre de la Libération is a fourragère for the Croix de guerre 1914-1918 with the shown at Figure 5. number 85 affixed to it, indicating that the wearer had earned the right to wear the fourragère permanently while Entitlement to Permanent Wear serving with the 85e Régiment d’infanterie. The rather fancy aiguillette suggests that the original owner was an As with unit awards in United States, Australia, etc, the officer (see below). award of a fourragère to a unit is permanent to the unit, but not necessarily permanent to an individual. The Aiguillettes rules roughly state that only those persons serving with a unit at the time it was cited may wear the fourragère Aiguillettes are silver for cavalry/armoured units and

36 JOMSA Figure 6: Fourragère for the Croix de guerre 1914-1918 with the number ‘85’ affixed. gilt for all other units. Generally made out of metal, they can sometimes be encountered made of painted wood or even of colored plastic. Figure 7 shows fourragère for the Croix de guerre, Mèdaille militaire, Legion d’honneur and Croix de guerre TOE with aiguillettes in gilt and Figure 8: Fourragère for the Croix de guerre 1914- silver. Supposedly plain, it is not uncommon to encounter 1918 with the insignia of the French Artillery. more expensive, privately purchased specimens where the aiguillette is decorated with various motifs, including Super Fourragère – 3e REI and RICM images of the medal represented or by unit insignia. Figure 8 illustrates a very worn and faded fourragère for While a number of units of the French Armed Forces are the Croix de guerre 1914-1918 awarded to an artillery entitled to more than one fourragère, only two units are unit and note the insignia of the French Army artillery entitled to wear three, namely the 3e Régiment étrangère on the aiguillette. d’infanterie (3e REI or 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment) and the Régiment d’infanterie-chars de marine (RICM or Marine Armoured Infantry Regiment). The triple fourragère of these two units is shown at Figure 9, mounted for wear on the winter uniform jacket of a Corporal of the 3e REI, circa 1980. Both the 3e REI and RICM wear the double fourragère in the colors of Légion d’honneur and the Croix de guerre 1914-1918, with two olives on the fourragère of the Légion d’honneur, the lower one signifying nine to 11 citations in World War I and upper signifying two to three citations in World War II; and the fourragère in the colors of the Mèdaille militaire with an olive in the colors of the Croix de guerre TOE, signifying four to five citations. Besides Figure 7: Fourragère for the Croix de guerre, Mèdaille militaire, Legion d’honneur its own honors earned after 1920, when and Croix de guerre TOE with aiguillettes in gilt and silver. the regiment was raised, the 3e REI

Vol. 62, No. 2 (March-April 2011) 37 Endnotes 1. Currently worn by the 1st and 3rd Infantry Divisions, 82nd Airborne Division, 16th, 18th, 23rd and 26thInfantry , 5th, 7th and 12th Field Artillery Regiments and 1st Engineer of the United States Army and the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments. 2. The word fourragère comes from the French root ‘fourrage’, meaning ‘forage’ or ‘animal food’. It was originally a slang word for a cord or rope carried by cavalrymen to allow them to secure forage to their saddles to be later fed to their mounts. 3. Awards of the Medaille militaire have been made to the following French units: February 1918: Battailons Chasseurs à pied. July 1919: 3e Régiment de marche de zouaves ; 2e Régiment de marche de tirailleurs ; Régiment d’infanterie coloniale du Maroc : 1er Régiment de marche de la Légion étrangère, December 1983: 3e Compagnie du 1er Régiment de chasseurs parachutistes January 2002: le Centre d’Instruction Naval (CIN) de Saint- Mandrier; l’École nationale des Sous-officiers d’Active de Saint-Maixent; l’École de Gendarmerie de Chaumont; l’École de Formation des Sous- officiers de l’Armée de l’Air de Rochefort. Only a few of these units, e.g. the 3e Régiment étranger d’infanterie (3e REI), inheritor of the traditions of the 1er Figure 9: The winter uniform jacket of a Corporal of the 3e Régiment de marche de la Légion étrangère, are entitled to wear the fourragère of the Médaille militaire as well as carry REI, circa 1980 with a triple fourragère. the Médaille militaire itself on the regimental or unit color. 4. Fourragère in the colors of the Croix de Guerre 1939 do exist (red with green stripes), however, these have never been officially inherited the honors of the World War I Régiment de approved and are forbidden for wear on French military uniforms. marche de la Légion étrangère or RLEM from which 5. Besides the triple fourragère worn by the members of the 3e REI, the regimental color is decorated with: the 3e REI was formed in North Africa in 1920.5 For its the Légion d’honneur part, the RICM inherited the honors of former Régiment the Médaille militaire d’infanterie coloniale du Maroc. At the time of Moroccan the Croix de guerre 1914-1918 with nine palms the Croix de guerre 1939-1945 with three palms independence in 1956, the French Army was loathe to the Croix de guerre TOE with four palms lose the honors and traditions of the RICM and in order the Ordre mérite militaire Chérifien not to do so, transferred the regiment to the French Army the Portuguese Order of the Tower and the Sword the Spanish Médaille des volontaires Catalans and renamed it Régiment d’infanterie-chars de marine to the streamer of the United States Presidential Unit Citation enable the title RICM to continue on and to ensure that the Médaille de vermeil du Centre national d’études spatiales the traditions of the most highly decorated unit of the de Kourou 6. Besides the triple fourragère worn by the members of the RICM, French Army did not die out. the regimental color is decorated with: the Légion d’honneur Conclusion the Médaille militaire the Croix de guerre 1914-1918 with ten palms the Croix de guerre 1939-1945 with two palms Fourragère are probably well known to members of the Croix de guerre TOE with five palms OMSA, considering that the insignia is worn by a number the Portuguese Order of the Tower and the Sword of units of the United States Army and United States the Ordre mérite militaire Chérifien Marine Corps. However, the full story of the French the streamer of the United States Presidential Unit Citation fourragère is both interesting and complex, and I trust that members have enjoyed reading my small effort to Bibliography Koundakjian, Vicken (editor). Laws and Regulations Pertaining to the make sense of the subject. French Croix de Guerre (OMSA Monograph No.7). Glassboro, New Jersey: Orders and Medals Society of America, 1991. Except for Figures 1 and 2, which are excerpted from Order of the Liberation (France), l’Ordre de la Libération www. La Marque du courage, all items illustrated are from the ordredelaliberation.fr, 2001. Service Historique de la Défense. La Marque du courage. Paris : author’s collection. Éditions LBM, 2005.

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