Belgium - Military medal - Two Belgian Medals from 1940–1945

* The medal was established by law to acknowledge military personnel who made an active contribution to the resistance. To qualify, individuals had to meet strict criteria: • Active membership: One had to be able to show that before 4 June 1944 (the invasion of Normandy) one was affiliated with an officially recognized Belgian resistance movement or intelligence service. • Armed action: The decoration was specifically intended for those who effectively participated in armed actions, sabotage, or dangerous undercover operations in occupied territory. • Posthumous award: The medal was also frequently awarded posthumously to resistance fighters who during the occupation had been executed or had died in camps. * War Commemorative Medal 1940–1945 (Médaille Commémorative de la Guerre 1940–1945) This decoration was instituted on 16 February 1945 (and later amended) to honor military personnel, resistance fighters and merchant seamen who fought on the Allied side during World War II.

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