Finnish Order of the Cross of Freedom
The Finnish Order of the Cross of Freedom ( Finnish Vapaudenristin ritarikunta ) is the highest civil and military honor of the Republic of Finland and is awarded by the Finnish President. That is why the presidential flag in the upper corner on the mast side shows the freedom cross.
history
The order was donated on March 4, 1918 by the later Reich Administrator Freiherr Mannerheim as an award for the white participants in the Finnish Civil War . After the end of the civil war, it was no longer awarded and was only renewed on December 8, 1939 for the duration of the winter war with the USSR , then turned into a permanent medal on December 16, 1940. The medal can be awarded to both civil and military persons for services to the defense of the country and also to public bodies and military units as well as to foreigners. The day of the order is June 4th, Mannerheim's birthday.
Insignia and medal classes
The order has two departments, a civilian (without swords) and a military (with swords). Each department has a Grand Cross and five lower classes: Commander with a star, Commander without a star and three classes of chest decorations.
The order cross of the grand cross and the commander class is a narrow, white enameled paw cross , which carries a straight swastika in gold on its arms . In the middle medallion of the obverse is the white enameled symbol of the Finnish white rose. The lapel is smooth. The drawings that were awarded during a war have the beginning year of the war ( 1918, 1939or 1941) in the middle medallion . During peacetime the award takes place without a year.
The medal hangs on a golden oak wreath , the military department has two curved arms with swords that grow out of the oak wreath, the civilian department only has the oak wreath, which is not always awarded. In the 3rd ( gold-plated ) and 4th ( silver-plated ) grades, the crosses are enameled blue. The medal could also be awarded with diamonds. The drawings with the Red Cross (on the rose of the medallion in the middle) can be awarded for medical or humanitarian merit.
The Order of Star of the Grand Cross (two sizes) is a five-armed silver star. In its middle medallion lies the heraldic white rose on a swastika, which is surrounded by a red ribbon with the inscription Isänmaan puolesta(For Fatherland). When decorating with swords, these are in a crossed shape under the central medallion. These swastikas, which have no relation to National Socialism , also appear in the Order of the White Rose , also donated by Mannerheim , whose collar had huge golden swastikas.
During a war, the ribbon of the military department is red with white stripes, that of the civilian department is yellow with red stripes. During peacetime, the military division's ribbon is also yellow with red side stripes. In the 3rd and 4th grade these stripes are in the middle of the ribbon.
The Mannerheim Cross , donated in 1941, also belongs to this order as a special department .
The Order also has a Freedom Medal (2 classes, silver and bronze) and Medal of Merit (2 classes, silver and bronze). The freedom medals can also be awarded with the Red Cross. The Medal of Freedom is awarded to soldiers and the Medal of Merit to civilians.
A funeral cross is presented to the next female family member of a fallen soldier . This is similar to the Freedom Cross 4th Class, but has a black ribbon with white stripes. A mourning medal is presented to the next female family member of a dead armaments worker . It is similar to the 1st Class Merit Medal, but has a black ribbon with white stripes.
Known porters
literature
- Arnhard Graf Klenau: European medals from 1700. Catalog, without Germany. VVA et al., Gütersloh et al. 1978, ISBN 3-921566-05-3 .
- Paul Hieronymussen: Orders, Medals and Decorations of Britain and Europe in Color. Blandford Press, London 1967.
