Ceskoslovensky Valecny Kriz 1939 (Czechoslovak War Cross) with ribbon awarded to a Czech Jewish soldier
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Washington, United States
Czechoslovak War Cross 1939 with striped ribbon awarded to Josef Hauptman in 1946 for bravery as a soldier during the war against Nazi Germany. He received the medal with a certificate (see 2004.643.1) on March 6, 1946. In 1938, Czechoslovakia was dismantled and its territory absorbed by Nazi Germany and its allies. Josef, 18, was drafted into the Soviet Army that year. He fought with Soviet forces for the rest of the war. He was wounded for the second time and hospitalized when the war ended on May 8, 1945. Sometime that summer, Josef became a member of the Czechoslovak Army. In December 1945, he was honored as a disabled veteran. Josef also received medals in recognition of his bravery during the war from both the Czechoslovak and Soviet governments.
- Title: Ceskoslovensky Valecny Kriz 1939 (Czechoslovak War Cross) with ribbon awarded to a Czech Jewish soldier
- Location: Czechoslovakia--Armada--Biography.
- Provenance: The medal was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004 by Joseph Hauptman.
- Subject Keywords: Jewish soldiers--Czechoslovakia--Biography. Jewish soldiers--Soviet Union--Biography. Jews, Czech--Soviet Union--Biography. World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Eastern Front--Personal narratives, Jewish. World War, 1939-1945--Participation, Jewish. World War, 1939-1945--Soviet Union--Biography.
- Type: Military Insignia
- Rights: Permanent Collection
- External Link: See the full record at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Medium: Bronze cross barbee medal with crossed swords between the arms and an attached striped grosgrain ribbon. The front has an embossed escutcheon with the rampant, split tailed, crowned Lion of Bohemia. The reverse has a central embossed escutcheon with a number on each corner and a central encircled rampant lion. The arm points have medallions with embossed designs: top, Arms of Slovakia with a Cross of Lorraine; right, Arms of Silesia with a right facing eagle with a curved clover stalk; bottom, Arms of Carpathian Ruthenia with horizontal lines and a bear; left, Arms of Moravia with a left facing eagle. Attached to the top is a suspension ring attached to a jump ring through which the ribbon is threaded. The ribbon has 21 alternating equally sized stripes in 7 sets of red, white, blue. Attached to the back is a 2-pronged metal backing pin.
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