Army Cross

The Army Cross, post-nominal letters CM (Crux Militaria), is a military decoration that was instituted by the Republic of South Africa in 1987. It was awarded to members of the South African Army for bravery. The Army Cross was discontinued in 2003, but backdated awards can still be made for acts of bravery during this period.

The South African military
The Union Defence Forces (UDF) were established in 1912 and renamed the South African Defence Force (SADF) in 1958. On 27 April 1994 it was integrated with six other independent forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

Orders, decorations and medals
In April 1952 a series of military decorations and medals was instituted, consisting of substitutes for many of the British and Commonwealth awards which had earlier been used. More decorations and medals, as well as an emblem for being mentioned in dispatches, were added between 1953 and 1970. In July 1975 the military decorations and medals of the Republic were revised. Some decorations and medals were carried over from the earlier series of 1952-1975 and new awards were instituted, followed by more between 1987 and 1991. Finally, all but one of these earlier awards were discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 27 April 2003, when a new set of nine decorations and medals was instituted to replace them.

Fount of Honour
Until 1958 the top three awards were reserved for conferment by the Queen while the rest were awarded by the Governor-General, but in 1958 the Governor-General was authorised to also award the top three. In 1961 the State President became the Fount of Honour, and in 1994 the President.

Award criteria for the Army Cross
When the Army Cross, post-nominal letters CM (Crux Militaria), was instituted in 1987, it was awarded for exceptional ingenuity, resourcefulness and skill, and extraordinary leadership, dedication, sense of duty and personal example and courage in mortal danger in non-combatant situations.

After 1993 it was awarded for exceptional courage, leadership, skill, ingenuity or tenacity in dangerous or critical situations.

It was first awarded in 1992 to Corporal D.H. Maritz and Private H.B. Smit, who recovered a disabled tank during a battle in Angola.

Order of precedence
The position of the Army Cross in the official order of precedence was revised three times to accommodate the institution or addition of new decorations and medals, first with the integration into the South African National Defence Force on 27 April 1994, again when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted in April 1996 for the two former non-statutory forces, the Azanian People's Liberation Army and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and again when a new series of military decorations and medals was instituted in South Africa on 27 April 2003, but it remained unchanged on all three occasions.


 * Official SANDF order of precedence:
 * Preceded by the Ad Astra Decoration (AAD) of the Republic of South Africa.
 * Succeeded by the Air Force Cross (CA) of the Republic of South Africa.


 * Official national order of precedence:
 * Preceded by the Ad Astra Decoration (AAD) of the Republic of South Africa.
 * Succeeded by the Air Force Cross (CA) of the Republic of South Africa.

Description
The Army Cross is a pointed cross struck in silver, to fit in a circle 45 millimetres in diameter, with the South African Army springbok emblem in the centre on a red roundel, 18 millimetres in diameter.
 * Obverse

The reverse has the pre-1994 South African Coat of Arms, with the decoration number stamped underneath.
 * Reverse

The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and white with a 12 millimetres wide Army orange centre band.
 * Ribbon

Discontinuation
Conferment of the decoration was discontinued in respect of services performed on or after 27 April 2003.

Recipients
Since inclusion in the table itself is impractical, the actions cited for follow below the table. The list of recipients is not complete.