The Order of Liberation was established in 1940 by General de Gaulle to reward civilian and military communities or individuals who distinguished themselves in efforts to liberate France and the French Empire.
Now discontinued, the Order of Liberation was established by General de Gaulle on 16 November 1940. Presented to 1,038 women and men, the Cross of Liberation was awarded according to a well-defined procedure and criteria.
General de Gaulle, founder of the Order of Liberation, was its only grand master. Following his death on 9 November 1970, the Council of the Order of Liberation decided there would be no successor. When it was first established, a chancellor was appointed to run the institution.
The Order of the Liberation has evolved since its creation on November 16, 1940. Today, it is a national public administrative establishment placed under the authority of the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
The missions of the order: fuelling the nation with exemplary lives
The Law of 13 July 2018 relating to military planning propelled the Order of Liberation into the future by conferring on it a new global mission (while retaining its traditional missions): to develop the spirit of defence through the commitment of the Companions of the Liberation.
Five French communes are Companions of the Liberation.
The Order of Liberation is “intended to reward civilian and military communities or individuals who distinguish themselves in efforts to liberate France and the French Empire”.
The village of Vassieux-en-Vercors received the Cross of the Liberation on August 4, 1945. 72 of its inhabitants were massacred and all of its houses burned by a ruthless enemy.
Île de Sein receives the Cross of Liberation on January 1. In June 1940, almost all of the men of fighting age chose to join the Free French Forces in England.
Army units began to form following the appeal of 18 June 1940. These were mainly simple battalions or even simple companies, which, as the territories rallied and new volunteers came in, were gradually transformed into regiments.