THE DISTRIBUTION PROCESS FOR THE ORIGINAL POLISH ORDER OF THE VIRTUTI MILITARI, 5TH CLASS FROM 1920 to 1941 ZDZISLAW P. WESOLOWSKI Military scholars interested in Polish orders, especially the Virtuti Militari, the highest honor awarded during a time of war for personal bravery, have always wondered why there are irregularities in the disposition of the Order, especially in the 5th class.The objective of this article is to help to unravel these inconsistencies. The Polish Ministry of Military Affairs ordered 10,000 silver gilt, 5th class crosses of the Order of Virtuti Militari between the years 1920 and 1923 from Polish jewelers. They were to be awarded for the Polish War for Independence against the Germans and Soviets between the years 1914 and 1923. The Polish Government in Exile awarded some of these original numbered-crosses during the years 1939 and 1941. In addition, the awarded crosses Figure 1: This first government-issue 5th class silver cross has do not follow a numerical sequence corresponding to the a barrel-type tub for the suspension ring. The tub required period of the award. For example, the Polish Government another production process because it had to be attached to the in Exile awarded crosses serial numbered 8209-8331 cross. It is suspended on an original Swiss made ribbon with a during World War II, while crosses numbered 9704 to safety pin. 43mm by 43mm. This cross, number 292, was awarded 9924 were awarded between 1922 and 1923. to 2nd Lieutenant Antoni Bartkowiak on June 8, 1921. He was assigned at the time of the award to the 15th Air Force Escadrille The first presentation of awarded crosses was made flying missions against the Soviet forces. Many machine stamped on January 22, 1920 to the highest-ranking officers of crosses have irregular numbers and are not aligned perfectly. the Temporary Order Chapter (Kapitula Orderu) with insignia and documents. However, the Order in the form of the 5th class silver cross was not distributed to the soldiers in the field, only the ribbon. The reason being that the crosses were not available at that time. In July of 1920, during the first ceremonies, soldiers decorated with the Order were given a short piece of the Virtuti Militari ribbon to wear on their uniform with an accompanying award document. The insignia in form of a cross was to be issued at a later date. The Polish Ministry of Military Affairs first awarded the production of the cross to the jewelry firms of Krupski and Matulewicz, by a low-bid process in September 1920. The first crosses were distributed in the field during the summer of 1921 (Figure 1). Crosses in sterling silver Figure 2: This second type 5th class cross is 43mm by 43mm with were made especially for foreigners and high-ranking a redesigned suspension. This type was developed to save time and officers. The Ministry expressed dissatisfaction with money. It was struck in one single piece and did not require the other crosses because of their low quality. Most of the additional process of attaching the tube for the suspension rings as crosses were made from brass materials with silver or in the first type cross. The numbering style was also changed. It is gold plate. The harsh economic times and a very limited suspended on a replacement ribbon. This cross, number 6688, was defense budget, forced the Ministry to accept the lowest awarded to Colonel Mieczyslaw Poniatowski on May 10, 1922. He bidders as the manufacturers of the country’s highest was assigned to the 68th Infantry Regiment as the commander of military decoration. the regiment and was decorated for his decisive action in a battle against the Soviet Army. 18 JOMSA Figure 3: Another example of a second type cross (number Figure 5: Government-issued crosses were awarded to most 8730) awarded to 2nd Lieutenant Gracjan A. Chmielewski recipients, however many other crosses were used in place of for his participation in the 1863 uprising against the Czar’s the official government issue that was considered inferior to occupation of Poland. This 43mm by 43mm cross is one jeweler’s sterling silver versions that on many occasions where of those that were in a group taken out of sequence. It is awarded especially to foreigners and very important persons. suspended by the second type ribbon with a Polish eye and hook. Marshal Jozef Pilsudski’s 5th class was a sterling silver jeweler’s cross. This cross, 40mm by 40mm, is an example of a jeweler’s three piece sterling silver cross with gold center disks and was awarded to Brigadier General Albert M. Mourruau of France on January 1, 1922 who was as an advisor to the Polish General Staff during the Polish Soviet War. The center disks are of superb quality. The cross number (20) was hand engraved because of the sterling silver content of the cross. There are examples which have the machine stamped numbers as well as hallmarks. Figure 4: One of the last 5th class crosses produced prior to World War II that were mainly awarded to Air Force personnel. This cross (number 9466) is 43mm by 43mm and was awarded to Air Force Lieutenant Florian E. Adrian of the 300th Mazowiecki Bomber Squadron stationed at Bramcote airbase. The firms of Knedler and Gontarczyk were selected as Figure 6: This cross, 42mm by 42mm, is in gold prime contractors for the 5th class crosses while the firm machine stamped of superb quality. The suspension of Krupski and Matulewicz won the contract to produce ring is much thicker then the regular issue. It is stamped the three higher classes of the Order, subcontracting the with the number 5497 that was awarded to Corporal 5th class to Gontarczyk (Figure 2 and 4). For a time the Karol Karasinski of the 2nd Legion Ulan Regiment firms of Reising and Wabinski produced several hundred on May 17, 1922 for services in the Polish-Soviet War. crosses delivering them to the Ministry on October In addition to the five official manufacturers of the regular 4, 1921. One hundred especially-made sterling-silver government-issued crosses with machine-impressed crosses with gold center-disks were made by Gontarczyk serial numbers, there were over ten other so-called jeweler and delivered on November 23, 1922 which were to be versions made in Poland before 1939 (Figures 5 through distributed to foreigners with an additional lot of the same 7). These crosses were sold to recipients as replacements type made by Krupski with serial numbers 9700 to 9799. and as duplicates for wear. Since regulations required all Vol. 61, No. 5 (September-October 2010) 19 initials, hallmark and assay marks. The serial number was hand-engraved at the request of the recipients. The government-awarded crosses were issued to the recipient free of charge, but duplicates had to be purchased directly from the jeweler. Today these crosses are considered to be pre-World War II copies. The original government-issued machine-stamped Virtuti Militari 4th class gold crosses and 5th class silver crosses are extremely rare. The majority of the original government-issued crosses had an uneven number stamped on the lower reverse arm. The reason for the uneven stamping was the fact that some were hand- stamped. The other reason was that the technology of the stamping machine employed at the time was not very Figure 7: Another gold 5th class, second type cross with superb efficient. Current copies of Virtuti Militari crosses are enamels and quality numbered 8398 is 42mm by 42mm. It found with perfectly straight-lined, uniform machine- was awarded to Air Force Corporal Leszek Zaborowski of the stamped numbers and some are even hand engraved. 305th Wielkopolski Bomber Squadron stationed at Bramcote. Most of these current copies were made by Panasiuk in Warsaw and can be found for sale at gun shows and on the Internet for very low prices to unknowing collectors. Some entrepreneurs are now stamping numbers on pre-World War II copies and selling them as original government issues. When the Polish Government departed from Warsaw for London in 1939, it took with it the remaining 1501 unawarded crosses as well as the remaining 2nd and 3rd classes. The 5th class crosses were awarded in the West with the first award made to Air Force Lieutenant W. Peski, serial number 8200. By Figure 8: A superbly made cross in sterling silver by the Polish jewelry firm, Polish Tech, that also made other decorations for the Polish Government in Exile. The cross was closely modeled after the pre-World War II crosses. Polish Tech was the first private firm to supply the new Virtuti Militari when the supply of pre-war crosses ran out. These crosses and all others made after 1940 were never officially numbered, but many recipients had a number hand engraved. This type is very rare because a small number were made. Most of these crosses were enameled on the reverse and are 43mm by 43mm and are very rare because of the small number that were produced. Figure 9: The firm of Spink and Son was the main supplier personnel to wear the Order at all times, some were lost, of decorations to the Polish Government in Exile.The firm misplaced and duplicates were necessary. These jeweler’s made the Grand Cross, 1st , 4th and 5th classes of the Order crosses were in many cases identical to the government (the Polish Exile Government had a supply of 2nd and 3rd issue except that they were unnumbered (Figure 8). class crosses that had been brought from Poland.