Gold Medal of Military Valor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gold Medal of Military Valor Medaglia d'oro al valor militare
Gold Medal of Military Valor (Royal version & Republican version)
Country	Italy

The Gold Medal of Military Valor (which in Italian is called Medaglia d'oro al valor militare) is a very important Italian military award. It was created on May 21, 1793, by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia. This medal is given to junior officers and soldiers who show amazing bravery during wartime.

The first medals had a picture of the king on one side. On the other side, they had a flag design and the words "for Valor."

In 1815, Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia changed this medal into the Military Order of Savoy. Today, that order is known as the Military Order of Italy.

Later, on March 26, 1833, Charles Albert of Sardinia brought the Gold Medal back. He also added Silver and Bronze medals for military valor. These new medals showed the coat of arms of Savoy with laurel branches and a royal crown. They also said "for military Valor." The back of the medals had two laurel branches around the name of the soldier who received it, along with the place and date of their brave action.

After Italy became a Republic on June 2, 1946, the old emblem of the House of Savoy was replaced. The medal now features the emblem of the Italian Republic.

The Gold Medal in Major Wars

World War I Awards

During World War I, the Gold Medal was given out about 368 times to individuals. It was also awarded 37 times to military units, and once to the Unknown Soldier. Only four of these individual awards went to people from other countries. One of them was Czar Nicholas II of Russia. The other three were given for acts of bravery where the person died in action or from their injuries. These included Frenchmen John O'Byrne and Roland Morillot, and American Coleman deWitt. The Gold Medal of Military Valor was one of the rarest medals given during World War I. It was awarded even less often than the Victoria Cross, which was given 628 times.

World War II Awards

In World War II, soldiers of the Royal Italian Army received this medal. After 1943, when Italy changed sides, it was given to members of the Italian Co-Belligerent forces who fought with the Allies. The Italian Social Republic, which was allied with Germany, made its own version of the medal. It had a sword instead of the Savoy emblem. However, the Italian government after the war did not recognize this version.

The Medal Today

The Italian government still awards the Gold Medal for Military Valor. It is given along with the Silver and Bronze medals for Military Valor. There is also a War Cross of Military Valor, which is only given during wartime. These medals were officially set up by a Royal Decree on November 4, 1932. Their purpose is "to recognize and publicly honor those who perform heroic military acts." This includes acts done during peacetime, as long as they are closely related to the goals of the Armed Forces.

Notable Recipients

The very first person to receive the Gold Medal was Domenico Millelire of the Royal Sardinian Navy on April 6, 1793. The most recent person to receive it was Chief Corporal-Major Andrea Adorno in 2014. He was part of the 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment and was honored for his actions in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan, in 2010.

Individuals Awarded the Gold Medal

Military Units Awarded the Gold Medal

The first military unit to receive a Gold Medal was His Majesty's Dragoons Regiment on April 21, 1796. This was for their brave actions during the Battle of Mondovì. Even though the medal was usually for individuals, King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia ordered two medals to be placed on the regiment's flag. This honored them for saving his army from Napoleon's attack.

Before 1859, only the "Cuneo" Brigade received a special Gold Medal. King Charles Felix of Sardinia gave it to them for stopping the Revolution of 1821. After 1859, the rules changed to include cities and military units. The first unit to get the Gold Medal after this change was the French Imperial 3rd Zouaves Regiment for their bravery in the Battle of Palestro. The most recent unit to be awarded the Gold Medal was the Jewish Brigade in 2017. This was for their service during the Italian Campaign of World War II.

In total, 112 Gold Medals have been given to units of the Italian army. This includes 105 to regiments and 7 to battalions. The list below shows military units that have been awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor twice.

• His Majesty's Dragoons Regiment (1796 Battle of Mondovì, the only cavalry unit to be awarded twice)
• 1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" (1860 Siege of Gaeta, 1917 Tenth Battle of the Isonzo)
• 5th Infantry Regiment "Aosta" (1859 Battle of San Martino, 1917-18 Italian Front)
• 6th Infantry Regiment "Aosta" (1859 Battle of San Martino, 1917-18 Italian Front)
• 9th Infantry Regiment "Regina" (1859 Battle of Palestro, 1915-16 Italian Front)
• 10th Infantry Regiment "Regina" (1860 Battle of Castelfidardo, 1915-16 Italian Front)
• 13th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo" (1915-18 Italian Front, 1941 Greco-Italian War)
• 47th Infantry Regiment "Ferrara" (1915-17 Italian Front, 1940-41 Greco-Italian War)
• 48th Infantry Regiment "Ferrara" (1915-17 Italian Front, 1940-41 Greco-Italian War)
• 80th Infantry Regiment "Roma" (1941–42, 1942-43 Eastern Front)
• 84th Infantry Regiment "Venezia" (1911 Italo-Turkish War, 1943 Resistance to German forces in Yugoslavia)
• 151st Infantry Regiment "Sassari" (1915–16, 1918 Italian Front)
• 152nd Infantry Regiment "Sassari" (1915–16, 1918 Italian Front)
• 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment (1941–42, 1942 Eastern Front)
• 6th Bersaglieri Regiment (1942, 1942-43 Eastern Front)
• 8th Bersaglieri Regiment (1941-42 Western Desert Campaign, 1943 Tunisian Campaign)
• 5th Alpini Regiment (1940-41 Greco-Italian War, 1942-43 Eastern Front)
• 8th Alpini Regiment (1940-41 Greco-Italian War, 1942-43 Eastern Front)
• 9th Alpini Regiment (1940-41 Greco-Italian War, 1942-43 Eastern Front)
• 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment (1940-41 Greco-Italian War, 1942-43 Eastern Front, the only artillery unit to be awarded twice)

The 4th Alpini Regiment also has two Gold Medals on its flag. These medals were given to two of its battalions: the Alpini Battalion "Aosta" and the Alpini Skiers Battalion "Monte Cervino".

Locations Awarded the Gold Medal

The first city to receive a Gold Medal of Military Valor was Vicenza in 1866. This was for its brave five-day resistance against Austrian attacks during the First Italian War of Independence. Vicenza is also the only city to receive the medal twice. The second time was for its part in the Italian resistance movement during World War II.

The most recent city to be awarded was Varzi. It received the medal for creating and defending the Partisan Republic of Alto Tortonese between September and December 1944.

Here are some other examples of locations that received this honor:

You can find a full list of regions, provinces, and cities honored for their bravery on the Italian Wikipedia page it:Città decorate al valor militare per la guerra di liberazione.

University of Padua

The University of Padua is the only school or university that has received a Gold Medal of Military Valor. It was awarded on November 2, 1945. This was to honor the university's strong resistance against German occupation from 1943 to 1945.

See also

• Medal of Military Valor
• Silver Medal of Military Valor
• Bronze Medal of Military Valor
• List of military decorations
• Italian medals 1860-today (Italian Wikipedia)