This is a miniature World War I Victory Medal, authorised in AD 1919 to honour members of the United States Armed Forces who served on active duty between 6 April AD 1917 and 11 November AD 1918, with its scope of recognition extending to service in Russia and Siberia.
The medal was designed by James Earle Fraser. The obverse depicts a winged female figure symbolic of Victory, holding a shield in her left hand and a short sword pointing downwards in her right, with her head surrounded by a crest of radiating rays. The centre of the reverse features a shield representing the coat of arms of the United States, bearing the letters ‘U.S.’ and surmounted by a fasces; the inscription ‘The Great War for Civilization’ is engraved in a semicircle at the top, whilst the names of Allied nations, including France, Italy, Great Britain, and China, are inscribed along the sides, with the circular composition completed by six stars at the base.
The ribbon features a distinctive double rainbow pattern, with a dark red central stripe flanked by a blending spectrum of orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The medal was authorised to be worn with thin metallic clasps to denote specific battles, countries, or duty stations; battle clasps feature a star at each end, whereas service clasps are devoid of stars. In addition to the battle and service clasps of the Army, the Navy authorised a series of rectangular service clasps featuring a rope-patterned border, including those for the Armed Guard, Destroyers, Mine Sweeping, and Overseas service.
Following the United States’ declaration of war against Germany on 6 April AD 1917, the American Expeditionary Forces assisted in turning the tide of battle across various sectors in France and Europe, participating in the defence of the Aisne sector, Château-Thierry, and Belleau Wood, and subsequently spearheading the Aisne-Marne offensive and reducing the St. Mihiel salient during the counter-offensive. Ultimately, over one million American troops participated in the Meuse-Argonne offensive, enduring forty-seven days of continuous combat to breach the Hindenburg Line, shatter the German armies, and secure definitive victory on 11 November AD 1918.
物件編號: M474-3
年代: 公元 1918 年
材質: 銅合金
來源: 美國私人收藏 2025
這是一枚一戰勝利獎章（World War I Victory Medal），於公元1919年獲准設立，用以表彰在公元1917年4月6日至1918年11月11日期間服現役的美國武裝部隊成員，其表彰範圍亦包括在俄羅斯與西伯利亞的服役表現。
該獎章由詹姆斯·厄爾·弗雷澤（James Earle Fraser）設計。正面為帶有雙翼的女性勝利女神形象，她左手持盾、右手執一把指向下方的短劍，頭部環繞著放射狀的光芒冠冕；背面中央則為代表美國國徽的盾牌，上方刻有字母「U.S.」並襯以法西斯束棒，頂部呈半圓形刻有銘文「The Great War for Civilization」（為了文明的偉大戰爭），兩側則分別刻有法國、義大利、大不列顛、中國等同盟國的名稱，底部由六顆星完滿環繞。
