A Medal That Should Not Be

C. V. Kelly

In 1936, General Ioannis Metaxas was elected Premier of the newly restored Kingdom of Greece. A great admirer of both Mussolini and Hitler, he founded a Fascist style party, and government, under his leadership on August 4, 1936. An affiliated Fascist-type youth organization was founded by Alekos Kanellopulos, the National Youth Organization (Etnike Organosis Neolaias), usually known by its intitials, E. O. N.

The Etnike Organosis Neolaias issued a number of medals, including the Medal of the Fourth of August, which also seems to be known as the Order of the Phalanx, that was struck to celebrate the fourth year anniversary of the founding of Metaxas’ Fascist Party. It was to be awarded on the anniversary of the founding of the Etnike Organosis Neolaias on November 4, 1940. However, on October 28, 1940, the anniversary of his "March on Rome," Mussolini unexpectedly invaded Greece, much to his later regret. Because of the invasion, the Etnike Organosis Neolaias cancelled the award of the Fourth of August Medal, and supposedly all examples of the medal were donated to the government to be melted down to manufacture cartridges for the Greek Army. It would appear that at least one of them missed the melting pot!

The Fourth of August Medal was to be awarded in three classes: gold (gilt), silver and copper. My medal is of the gold grade (Figure 1), 40mm wide, a Bath cross in white enamel, having the spaces between the arms filled by a solid rayed-background enclosed by gold laurel leaves, giving the planchet a modified octagonal shape. In the center of the cross is a numeral 4 filled with light blue enamel. The Greek word for AUGUST in gold letters appears across the horizontal arms of the cross. At the top and the bottom of the vertical arms are gold representations of the two-bladed Greek Fascist emblem. The reverse of the medal (Figure 2) is all gilt with the two-bladed Fascist emblem in the center, encircled by a wreath of laurel leaves, topped by a Greek Royal crown. The intended ribbon had five pale blue stripes and four white stripes, all of equal width.

"Y"

Figure 1: Obverse of the Fourth of August Medal.

Figure 2: Reverse of the Fourth of August Medal

This would appear to be a scarce medal as all should have been destroyed and it is doubtful that many exist, even in collections in Greece. The photos for this article are by Ron Leverenz of Doughboy Militaria, Springfield, Missouri.

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38 JOMSA

Annual Index JOMSA: The Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America

Volume 56 (2005)

Feature and Selected Articles by Author

Bartholow, Tim, The 46th Annual International Convention of the Orders and Medals Society of America. 6:6-12. Borch, Fred L, Civil War Purple Hearts: The Story of a True Rarity. 3:2-10.

., "Honneur et Patrie:" The Award of the French Legion of Honor to "100 American Veterans" on the 60th Anniversary of D-Day. 5:3-11. ., The "First" Purple Hearts: A Study of Naming and Numbering on Purple Hearts Manufactured Prior to World War II. 1:2-19.

Boyce, Doug, Medals of the State of New York: The New York Research Project. 4:28-32. Burrows, David L, Mexican Border Service Medal-Orangeburg, South Carolina. 3:42. Camaiora, Gianfranco, Allied Army Certificates Awarded to Italians During World War II. 6:30-34. Carlisle, Jim, By Occupation a Soldier. 4:11-17. Colson, Tony, A German Medal Group That’s Going the Wrong Way. 2:37-40. Curran, David E, In Search of General Foug(re. 1:31-36. de Oliveira, Humberto Nuno, World War I Portuguese Campaign Medal Bars. 4:3-10. Eisert, Peter J, Odd Fellows Commemorative Badge. 3:37-38.

, The Last Reunion of Civil War Widows. 2:41-42. Emering, Edward J, Belgian Medals for Congo Service. 2:3-20.

, Danish March Medals. 3:3-11. , The FOMUC Commemorative Medal. 6:38-39. , The Missions Abroad Medal of the Czech Republic. 6:35-37. , The Order ofNkonga. 1:38-40. , The Syria-Cilicia Commemorative Medal. 5:32-34.

Emerson, Bill, Where Were the Artillery Guys Who Earned Badges? 2:21-27 , World War I Blue. Silver, and Gold Army Service Chevrons. 6:27-29.

Floyd, Jeffrey B, The Sun Oil Company Medal of Honor. 5:25-28. Furtado, Russell, The Hanseatic Crosses. 6:18-22. Hawkes, Gale, The Beginning of SOCALOMS. 5:36-38. Johnson, Richard M, The Virginia S. Medlen Memorial Award. 5:38 & 40. Kalk, Peter, The Marine Medal of Honor Mystery. 1:40-41. Kelly, C V, A Medal That Should Not Be. 6:40. Louis, Mma’ay, A Purple Heart from the Rhona Sinking: A Forgotten Story Recalled. 4:32-35.

, "For Extraordinary Heroism:" A Navy Cross to a World War II Submarine Captain. 5:20-24. McCreery, Christopher, From the Trenches of the First World War to UN Peacekeeping: A Recipient of the Medal of

Freedom: Lieutenant-General Maurice Delvoie. 3:30-34. McLeod, Graeme, The Life of Lieutenant Maurice George Luxford, M.C., N.Z.E.F.: or How Research Using the

"Other" Side of the Family Can Be Very Rewarding. 4:18-22. Monday, Nyle C, Recent Refo~ms in the Japanese Honors System. 6:23-26. Olander, Kathy, A Medal of Honor Recipient at Cold Mountain. 5:29-32. Raw-Rees, Owain, The Egyptian Mosquito Eradication and Cholera Epidemic Medals. 2:33-36

, Medals and Museums in the Middle East. 3:39-41. , Palestine Liberation Army Awards. 6:13-17. , Saudi Medals-the 1987 Series. 1:20-30. , Somali Medals-a Postscript. 4:23-27.

Stela, Wojciech and Edward Bonk, The Latvian Lacplesis (Bear Slayer) Military Order. 3:18-24. Stewart, Neil G, Uncle Jack’s Medal. 2:28-32.

Vol. 56, No. 6 39

Strandberg, John, The Medals of Saddam Hussein. 5:12-19. Watts, Steve, The Medal of the Association of Military Dental Surgeons of the United States. 1:36-38. Weaver, Barry C, A New Numbered United States Campaign Medal Data Base. 3:25-29. Weeks, Christopher, Ibrahim al-Rifa’i: Egypt’s Most Decorated Soldier. 3:35-37. Wiegand, Brandon T, An Interesting New York Conspicuous Service Cross. 5:34-36.

Feature and Selected Articles by Country

Australia Stewart, Neil G, Uncle Jack’s Medal. 2:28-32.

Belgium McCreery, Christopher, From the Trenches of the First World War to UN Peacekeeping: A Recipient of the Medal of

Freedom: Lieutenant-General Maurice Delvoie. 3:30-34. Emering, Edward J, Belgian Medals for Congo Service. 2:3-20.

Czech Republic Emering, Edward J, The Missions Abroad Medal of the Czech Republic. 6:35-37.

Denmark Emering, Edward J, Danish March Medals. 3:3-11.

Egypt Raw-Rees, Owain, The Egyptian Mosquito Eradication and Cholera Epidemic Medals. 2:33-36. Weeks, Christopher, Ibrahim al-Rifa’i: Egypt’s Most Decorated Soldier. 3:35-37.

France Curran, David E, In Search of General Foug~re. 1:31-36.

Germany Colson, Tony, A German Medal Group That’s Going the Wrong Way. 2:37-40. Furtado, Russell, The Hanseatic Crosses. 6:18-22

Greece Kelly, C V, A Medal That Should Not Be. 6:40

Iraq Strandberg, John, The Medals of Saddam Hussein. 5:12-19.

Italy Camaiora, Gianfranco, Allied Army Certificates Awarded to Italians During World War II. 6:30-34.

Japan Monday, Nyle C, Recent Reforms in the Japanese Honors System. 6:23-26.

Latvia Stela, Wojciech and Edward Bonk, The Latvian Lacplesis (Bear Slayer) Military Order. 3:18-24.

New Zealand McLeod, Graeme, The Life of Lieutenant Maurice George Luxford, M.C., N.Z.E.F.: or How Research Using the

"Other" Side of the Family Can Be Very Rewarding. 4:18-22.

40 JOMSA