King's Own Royal Regiment Museum

The France and Germany Star
6th June 1944 - 8th May 1945

Face
A star with six bevelled points.  In the centre the initials ‘GRI’ with a crown above and ‘VI’ below, partly circled by a band bearing the words: ‘THE FRANCE AND GERMANY STAR’. 

Reverse 
Flat and plain. 

Size 
Approx. 38mm across. 

Composition
Medal and bar bronze. 

Ribbon
Approx. 31mm wide.  Coloured blue, white, red, white, blue in stripes all of equal width.  The stripes symbolise the colours of the Union Flag, the French Tri-color and the Netherlands flag.  Belgium’s colours are, strangely, not represented. 

Suspension
The ribbon passes through a bronze ring (approx. 12mm in diameter) which is fixed through a loop at the top of the star. 

Naming
All issued unnamed, but some have been engraved privately. 

Bars
One: As The France and Germany Star was not awarded in addition to the Air Crew Europe or Atlantic Stars, those who qualified for two or more, were awarded only the Star for which they first qualified.  Those who were awarded the France and Germany Star and qualified for The Atlantic Star were awarded the bar ‘ATLANTIC’.  However, a bar ‘AIR CREW EUROPE’ was not awarded with The France and Germany Star. 

Awarded 
For service in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany between 6th June 1944 and 8th May 1945.  The following are the qualifications applying to the Army:-

1.  Participation in any operation on the ground in any of the countries mentioned above.  2.  All service concerned directly with operations during the invasion of those countries.  3.  Official visits of over thirty days to the countries named qualifies for the award.  4.  Service in the South of France qualified for the Italy Star, not the France and Germany Star.  5.  The France and Germany Star was not awarded to those who had previously qualified for The Atlantic Star of the Air Crew Europe Star.

The France and Germany Star was not issued automatically.  Those who thought they were entitled had to claim it. 

The King’s Own
On 1st and 2nd July, 1944, 107th Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (King’s Own) landed in Normandy with its Churchill and Stuart tanks.  Its first action took place on 15th July during the Battle of Caen, as part of the 34th Independent Armoured Brigade. It fought in support of various infantry divisions throughout the campaign in North West Europe.  Notable actions were in the Orne Bridgehead, the capture of Le Havre, the capture of Blerick and in the Reichswald Forest on the Dutch/German border.

The Regiment crossed the Rhine on 7th April 1945 and on V.E. Day, 8th May,  was based near Munster.

The former 223 Battery 56th (King’s Own) Anti-Tank Regiment R.A. became 1st Air Landing Anti-Tank Battery in November 1941 and, having served with 1st Airborne Division in the Sicily landings of 1943, went on to take part in the Arnhem landings on the Lower Rhine in September 1944.

Men of both these units qualified for The France and Germany Star.

France and Germany Stars in the museum's collection