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Dad’s French Fourragère and a later American Issue

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    Posted 9 years ago

    Chrisnp
    (310 items)

    No, I am not old enough to have a father in WWI! Since I don’t have my father’s uniform, I've displayed his fourragère on a WWI uniform in the first picture to show how it was worn. Athough the cords are correct for the period, the patch on the uniform is for the Third Division, which wasn't entitled to the award till the next world war. Enough of the disclaimers…

    The fourragère is an award to honor an entire military unit for all time. Personnel assigned to the unit when the award was made are allowed to wear it permanently with their uniform. Those who come later only wear it while assigned to the unit. The fourragère was created by France during WWI to recognize units that distinguished themselves in battle. The colors of the fourragère match the colors of the ribbons of various valor medals, so an individual’s valor would be recognized with the medal, while a unit’s valor would be recognized with the equivalent cord. Eventually other countries, like Belgium and the Netherlands, would adopt fourragère of their own. Our allies have conferred the fourragère on some units of the US Army, who continue to wear them to this day.

    The fourragère above are in the colors of the French Croix de Guerre. The first one was presented to my father after a ceremony in 1945, when French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny made the award to the 3rd Infantry Division, pinning a decoration to the Division colors. It is French issue, with a trefoil knot worn facing out from the back, and a steel pendant (ferrule) at the opposite end of the cord. Think the use of steel may have been a wartime expedient.

    The second fourragère was from the estate of an officer who served in the Vietnam Era. This is the somewhat simplified version without the trefoil knot and with a brass colored ferrule that is still available through US supply channels for wear by authorized units of the US Army.

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    Comments

    1. blunderbuss2 blunderbuss2, 9 years ago
      There's our man! Hi. Yeah, I'm still alive. The rope broke! Good interesting info I didn't know again. Thought these were passed back & forth by merit in the U.S. army to colour bearers?
    2. Chrisnp Chrisnp, 9 years ago
      I was late posting this week due to my home computer problems, in other words too lazy to drive to my office on a weekend to use the computer I'm supposed to be working from. ha!

      Anyways, there's always a bunch of cords, ascots, etc. to spruce up the color guard, but these would be worn by everyone assigned to the awarded unit on their class A uniform along with their ribbons.

      I don't know if dad was at the big ceremony when the Division colors were pinned by the French General, or at a smaller battalion function afterwards, but he did say there was a presentation by a French officer. Dad would have been able to wear his as a permanent award since he was in the unit when it was awarded, but since he didn't stay in after the war so never went to another unit anyway.
    3. Militarist Militarist, 9 years ago
      Second picture the one on the right could that be Belgian ?
    4. Chrisnp Chrisnp, 9 years ago
      Militarist, I'm pretty sure the Belgian fourragère is mostly red. I believe both of these represent the French award. I think the difference in color is partly due to different manufacturers blending the green and red threads differently, but also because my father's is made of all natural fibers (cotton?), while the one from the Vietnam vet has shinier synthetic (polyester?) fiber.
    5. Chrisnp Chrisnp, 9 years ago
      Thanks for the love Virginia.vintage, Militarist, Manikin, ttomtucker, SEAN68, officialfuel, blunder, southcop, racer4four, aghcollect, and Jewels.
    6. WmLM WmLM, 9 years ago
      Great uniform and I would love to have those collar discs and fourragère.
      My Grandfather was in Company L, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. He was 'over there' from the May 1918 to August 1919. He had six battle bars and his regiment was awarded the Croix de Guere fourragère for their actions at the Battle of the Marne. It is well documented historical record, 3dDivision Summary of Operations in the World War, 1919 and 1944 publications. So leave that fourragère on that uniform, it belongs there. Excellent collection! The 3oIR is the "Rock of the Marne."

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