| War Medal of 1915 Gallipoli Star | |
|---|---|
 Gallipoli Star badge | |
Awarded by  Ottoman Empire | |
| Type | Military decoration |
| Awarded for | For acts of bravery or merit in action. |
| Campaign | World War I |
| Status | No longer awarded |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 1 March 1915 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Liakat Medal |
 Ribbon bar of the decoration | |
The Ottoman War Medal (Turkish language: Harp Madalyası), better known as the Gallipoli Star, or the Iron Crescent (from German Eiserner Halbmond, in allusion to the Iron Cross) was a military decoration of the Ottoman Empire which was instituted by the Sultan Mehmed Reshad V on 1 March 1915 for gallantry in battle. This decoration was awarded for the duration of World War I to Ottoman and other Central Powers troops, primarily in Ottoman areas of engagement.
Design and composition[]
The award includes a badge, ribbon and campaign bar.
The medal, made of nickel-plated brass, has a vaulted star-shaped badge, 56 mm across the diagonal span of the arms. The tips of the star are capped by ball finials and enclosed in a raised silver edge with the field in red lacquer or enamel. A raised crescent, open at the top, encircles the center of the badge. Inside the crescent is the tughra or cipher of the decoration's creator, Sultan Mehmed Reshad V, over the date 1333 AH (AD 1915). The reverse is flat, unadorned and has a straight pin.
Along with the badge came a ribbon with red and white stripes. The dimensions of the ribbon for combatants are: red 2.5 mm; white, 5 mm.; red, 29 mm.; white, 5 mm.; red 2.5 mm. For non-combatant awardees, the colors are reversed.
The campaign bar is a right-pointing parabola of white at 56mm in length and 7mm in height. In the field is red Arabic script denoting the specific campaign:
- Chanakkale/Chanak (Gallipoli)
- Gaza
- Kanal
- Kut-al-Amara
- Sanatorium
Wear[]
Formal portrait of Kemal Pasha (later known as Atatürk - father of the Turks) wearing the Gallipoli Star and Balkan Medal.
When in formal dress, the badge was worn at the center, below the right breast pocket. Wear of the badge was exclusive; in everyday wear was substituted by the ribbon. The ribbon was worn from the second hole in the tunic button. Medal was not worn attached to the ribbon. When the medal is worn, ribbon can not be worn.
For Austrian and German recipients (usually members of the Asienkorps), the award took lower precedence to their own Iron Cross 2nd class, and the ribbon of the Iron Crescent was placed beneath that of the Iron Cross.
The ribbon could also be fashioned into a chest riband for placement on a ribbon bar when in undress.
The campaign bar was usually not worn.
Gallery[]
See also[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Gallipoli Star. |
References[]
- Klietmann, Dr. Kurt-Gerhard, (1971): Deutsche Auszeichnungen: Ein Geschichte der Ehrenzeichen und Medaillen, Erinnerungs- und Verdienstabzeichen des Deutschen Reiches, der deutschen Staaten sowie staatlicher Dienststellen, Organisationen, Verbande usw. Vom 18. - 20. Jahrhundert. 2 Band. Deutsches Reich 1871- 1945. Berlin: Ordenssammlung.
- Erman, M. Demir, (2012, Ankara) The Turkish War Medal - Harp Madalyası ISBN 978-605-125-484-5
The original article can be found at Gallipoli Star (Ottoman Empire) and the edit history here.