Updated: 11 November, 2009

Norway

• Norwegian Orders and Medals

• Norwegian Orders, Decorations and Medals Official Website

• Medals of Norway (Megan C. Robertson)

• Siri Lawson

   

• Medals of Norway   Henrik Revens

   

• Royal Norwegian Saint Olaf Order This website is dedicated to the Order of St. Olav. It provides pictures of most versions of the order, recipients of the highest class since 1847, history and links (Armand Knutsen) (Sep 02)

• Medals of WWII -Norway 1939-1945 Hendrik Meershaert

• Medals of Norway Yuri Yashnev

• Participation Medal - The Participation Medal is a relatively new award. It is in essence a General Service Medal, but with a different twist. Instead of awarding additional bars or clasps, the same medal is awarded with different ribbons as is currently done with United Nations Medals.

• Armed Forces Medal for Heroic Deeds - Instituted in 1982, the rare Norwegian Forsvaret Medalje for Edel Dad, recognizes heroism while on active service. Approximately 80 medals have been awarded, primarily to Norwegian servicemen on active duty with NATO and UN missions in Lebanon, Bosnia and Kosovo. A few of these medals have also been awarded to foreigners. The original silver-gilt medals were slightly larger than the now standard 30mm medals and contained hallmarks. The reverse of the medal bears a small serial number just below the nipple for the ring suspension. (Ref: Ed Emering)

• New Medals:

  • Innsatsmedaljen med Rosett - Rest-Jugoslavia 1994 (Endeavour Medal with Rosete - Former Yugoslavia 1994)

  • Innsatsmedaljen - Rest-Jugoslavia 1994 (Endeavour Medal - Former Yugoslavia 1994)

  • Fredsprismedaljen 1948-1988 (Freedom Prize Commemorative Medal 1948-1988)

  • Norsk Sjomilitaert Tids-skrifts belonningwmedalje (Norwegian Military Association Membership Medal ???)

• Two new Norwegian Un-official Medals for United Nations Service:

  • The International Peace Prize Medal (1988) The Norwegian Veteran Association has obtained permission from the Nobel Institute and the Norwegian Ministry of Defence for the award of a medal to recognize the 1988 award of The Nobel Peace Prize to UN Peacekeeping Forces. The medal is worn on Norwegian uniforms. It is so prized that it is worn ahead of all other UN medals. Although strickly a Norwegian award, the Nobel Institute and the Ministry have authorized it as an "International" award. (Ref: OMRS Jigsaw Issue 63 4/97)

  • The United Nations 50th Anniversary Medal (1995) Un-official and awarded to all military and civilian personnel who participated in UN operations in the last 50 years. The ribbon is UN blue, white, dark blue, white and UN blue. (Source: OMRS Jigsaw Issue 63 4/97)

• Major-General Sverre Bratland, MC has died aged 84 (Established such a high reputation by his conduct during the Narvik campaign in 1940 that he was subsequently commissioned into the King's Shropshire Light Infantry, with whom he gallantly served in Normandy. On September 22 1944, in the course of some of 4 KSLI's fiercest fighting during the crossing of key canals in Holland, Bratland led a platoon attack near Asten, for which he was awarded the Military Cross. After his war service, for which he was appointed Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur and awarded the St Olav Medal with Oak Leaf, Bratland had a successful military career in Norway) (Jun 02)

• Eggen receives St Olavs honour Former Rosenborg BK coach Nils Arne Eggen has been awarded the St Olavs order knighthood – the highest honour a Norwegian citizen can receive. UEFA.com, Europe - 27 Mar 2003

• Ullmann receives royal honor in Norway Norwegian actress and filmmaker Liv Ullmann was awarded one of Norway's highest royal honors on Wednesday, the Commander with Star of the Order of St. Olav. The order, created in 1857, is awarded by Norway's King Harald V based on recommendations from a panel to Norwegians deserving a "reward for excellent services to country and mankind."  mercurynews.com 11 May 05

• Orders, Decorations, and Medals of Norway Antiques A to Z

• Tildelt ny operasjonsmedalje This appears to be an Operational Service Medal for service in Iraq. Article is in Norwegian and would appreciate a summary of the article email me mil.no 22 Jun 05

• The Armed Forces Medal for International Operations Awarded to Norwegian military and civilian personnel, who have served in the Armed Forces and have been ordered to take part in international operations. The service in the areas of operation must be of minimum 3 months length. This applies to all branches of the Armed Forces from January 1, 2004 with retroactive effect to January 1, 2003. In case of special operations, a report is forwarded to the Chief of Defense for approval. The first issue of this medal was for Iraq, which is pictured left with the Iraq service ribbon. The ribbon changes with the mission as depicted in Article 1.  Please email me if you can provide additional information. Article 1 appears to refer to an Operational Service Medal Article 2 refers to possibly a new medal

• Stir over Korean War veterans receiving Nobel commemorative medals for UN Peacekeepers Norway's military announced that Korean War veterans must no longer be issued a medal commemorating the 1988 Nobel Peace Prize honoring U.N. Peacekeepers - saying the Korean conflict did not qualify as a U.N. peacekeeping mission. The order, handed down after a story on the medal was first reported in the Chicago Tribune, could turn pride into disappointment for scores of Korean War veterans, many in the United States, who served in the U.N.-force that took over control of South Korean forces in 1950 to help repel the invading North Koreans. "The regulations for the medal will be amended to exclude the Korean war," said Lt. Col. Jan Molberg, of the Norwegian Veterans Administration, after meeting with Norwegian U.N. veterans groups that had made Korean War veterans eligible for the medal. In awarding the 1988 peace prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said it was for U.N. peacekeeping operations that started in 1956, three years after the Korean War armistice was signed. "It was very clear when the prize was awarded that it was for U.N. operations starting in 1956," said Geir Lundestad, secretary of the Nobel Peace Prize committee. "It explicitly excluded the Korean War." In the mid-1990s, a Norwegian chapter of the U.N. veterans group won permission from the Norwegian military and the Nobel Committee to commission and distribute a medal commemorating the 1988 prize. The Bergen and Hordaland U.N. Veterans Association then decided in 2004 to extend eligibility for the medal to Korean War veterans - without first checking with the military or the Nobel committee. The U.N. force was led by the United States, and command over the South's forces remained with an American general after the Korean War ended in a 1953 cease-fire that left the two Koreas technically still in a state of conflict. "We did research and found in two history books that Korea was a U.N. operation," said Finn Andersen, a 75-year-old member of the Bergen medal committee. Skandinavisk Handels Kompagni, the Danish company that distributes the medals for the Norwegian veterans began a special campaign promoting them for Korean veterans. It has sold scores of medals to Korean War veterans for $100 or more in recent weeks. Andersen said the veterans genuinely believed that Korean veterans were eligible, but conceded that they might have misunderstood. About 2,000 medals - which have no connection to the Nobel Committee - have been sold, but it was not immediately clear how many were bought by Korean War veterans. At least one veteran wasn't ready to think he didn't deserve a piece of the Nobel Peace Prize. "I know this award is legitimate," Jerry Crise, 75, of Palatine, Ill., who paid $195 for a commemorative package in March, told the Chicago Tribune. "No dumb reporter is going to make me believe anything different." Hutton, 74, argued that after the armistice was signed, the U.N. soldiers in South Korea helped ensure that fighting did not flare up again, and that he would like to see them recognized as peacekeepers. However, Molberg, of the Norwegian Veterans Administration, said the medals must reflect the intention of the Nobel Prize. He said the regulations would be revised, and that the veterans group must immediately abide by the new terms of eligibility. "Korea was not a peacekeeping operation," said Molberg. "Apparently, the local chapter misunderstood that." belleville,com 30 May 06
  • Veterans wait for word about medal's validity Pioneer Press Online - Glenview,IL,USA

• King Harald rejects new military medal Norwegian military officials have received a royal rejection for a proposed new medal (left) meant to honor soldiers and officers who exhibit unusual bravery or leadership under battle. The new medal was formally proposed by Norway's military chief Sverre Diesen. He and his military colleagues were surprised when the king sent back their proposal stamped "not accepted." A palace spokesman said "the reason from the King is that the Defense Ministry's medal for a 'Noble Act' covers the conditions" that the new decoration was meant to address. The military officials clearly disagree, believing that the new medal they want to bestow would be a higher decoration than the existing medals. It was specifically meant to be awarded to six Norwegian soldiers who were wounded during an armed conflict in northern Afghanistan in February. The rejection by King Harald, who acts as the supreme commander of the Norwegian military, came as a complete surprise to the military brass who had worked for half a year to develop a new system of honouring Norwegian soldiers and officers. Neither Diesen nor officials at the Defense Ministry intend to take the king's "no" for an answer. "We completely agree with the military chief (Diesen) that we lack a decoration for difficult situations," the state secretary for defense, Espen Barth Eide from the Labour Party, told newspaper Aftenposten. The "Noble Deed" medal ranks 11th in the current list of military medals in Norway, while the medal for being wounded in action, similar to the "Purple Heart" in the US that honours soldiers wounded in battle, ranks 39th. The new medal proposed by the military would rank higher than either of those two. afterposten.no 23 Jun 06

• Former Marlboro resident receives medal Jerry Rosholt of Decorah, Iowa, a former resident of Marlboro, recently received Norway's prized St. Olav Medal at a gourmet dinner hosted by the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa. The medal is given by the Norwegian government to honor outstanding services regarding the spreading of information about Norway abroad and for strengthening the bonds between expatriate Norwe-gians and their home country. According to a press release, Rosholt has contributed to the study and understanding of Norwegian-American history, particularly about Norwegian immigrants who served in the American Civil War. Rosholt wrote the book "Ole Goes to War," writing about Norwegian Civil War soldiers. In all of Rosholt's research and outreach activities, he has acted as a volunteer for Vesterheim, refusing any compensation for his efforts and donating honoraria from speaking engagements and paying all his expenses incurred. newstranscript.gmnews.com 31 Jan 07

• Armenian Defense Minister awarded with Fridtjof Nansen Gold Medal Defense Minister Michael Haroutounyan is awarded with a memorable Fridtjof Nansen Gold Medal. The head of RA Defense Ministry was awarded with the medal of the greatest Norwegian humanist for following social-political, humanitarian principles and his activity aimed at recognizing the Armenian Genocide. panarmenian.net 8 May 07

• Norway decorates WWII hero with top military honor Norway awarded its highest military decoration for the first time in 60 years, posthumously honoring a soldier who was killed while helping the wartime government flee the country as German troops invaded in 1940. Capt. Eiliv Austlid was awarded the War Cross with Sword, a medal that was recently reinstated after having been suspended since 1949. Austlid fell to Nazi bullets as he led a small Norwegian unit in an attack on a German detachment in Dovre, central Norway, on April 15, 1940, the Defense Ministry said. The assault held up the Germans long enough to allow key members of the Norwegian government to escape. The government officials eventually made it to England where they governed in exile throughout the war. "Today's award honors a man who showed personal valor and made a significant contribution on the battlefield with strategic import," Defense Minister Anne-Grete Stroem-Erichsen said. The decoration comes after Austlid's role in the attack was revised. Postwar reports suggested that he had acted recklessly, getting himself killed while doing little to protect his charges. But historians, relying partly on interviews with Austlid's fellow soldiers, later found he had acted valiantly. Recent media interest in Austlid's story helped bring him to the attention of the Defense Ministry. "The stories say he was a fool," Defense Ministry adviser Asgeir Spange Brekke told The Associated Press. "But history shows that he in fact was a hero." The decoration, established in 1941 by King Haakon VII, was suspended in 1949 because it was seen as exclusive to World War II. The government reinstated the award in June, after much deliberation about how best to honor the extraordinary achievements of Norwegian soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and other war zones. Spange Brekke noted that the reinstatement also allows for retroactive conference. "We are opening for old cases from World War II and the Korean War and every other conflict that Norwegian troops have been included in up to today," he said. The Defense Ministry has yet to decide on a date for the award ceremony. It's also not clear which of Austlid's family members will be presented with the medal. There are two other cases currently under consideration for the War Cross, Spange Brekke said. He said both cases involve Norwegian troops in Afghanistan, but declined to give details because they involve sensitive special forces operations. google.com  2 Oct 09
• Broken Link - For Information Purposes Only:
  • War hero on hand for plaque unveiling - Gunnar Sonsteby Norway's highest decorated living veteran- only Norwegian awarded the Norwegian War Cross with two bars. Apr 01
  • Briton Honoured with Medal - Nicholas McWilliam given Norway's Medal of Valor - the first awarded in nearly ten years for the Åsta train disaster 16 May 01  
  • Einar Skinnarland has died aged 84 The detailed reports sent from occupied Norway by Einar Skinnarland helped prevent the Nazis from developing an atomic bomb. Mr. Skinnarland's precise scouting allowed a squad to plant explosives in a plant at Vemork, one of the most spectacular acts of sabotage of the Second World War. Mr. Skinnarland was an engineer by training and a patriot by inclination. He joined the Norwegian resistance and became a British agent, operating in his occupied homeland under threat of certain torture and death if captured. Received the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his role in aiding the British. Further honours were awarded after the war, including the Medal of Freedom from the United States, the Croix de Guerre avec palme from France, and the Krigskorset med sverd (War Cross with Sword) from his homeland, its highest honour. Feb 03