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pre-WW2 Polish Cross of Valor No. 31865 (Krogulec Type 4) with Original Award Envelope – Stanisław Stola, 5th Legions Infantry Regiment
£3,249.99
A rare and historically significant set: Cross of Valor No. 31865, made of bronze by the Jan Knedler workshop in Warsaw, in an officially awarded version, accompanied by the original award envelope bearing the matching serial number. Such original envelopes preserved together with the awarded cross are considered exceptionally rare and are virtually absent from the collectors’ market.
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This particular example is documented and illustrated in Dr. Mariusz Pecio’s reference work “Katalog Zbioru Falerystycznego Krzyży Walecznych, 2nd Edition”, pages 27 and 29. The typology corresponds to Type IV, as classified by Grzegorz Krogulec in his book “Krzyż Walecznych”.
This decoration was part of a government-issued order and was awarded for acts of valor during the war of 1919–1921.
Cross No. 31865 was awarded to Private Stanisław Stola of the 5th Infantry Regiment of the Legions, 3rd Machine Gun Company, by order dated July 24, 1921. The award was given in recognition of his actions during combat near the village of Buk-Mojże (also referred to as Bukmyza) in Latvia, on January 25, 1920.
The citation reads:
“Both of them rushed with the machine gun onto open ground, heavily shelled by enemy infantry, and, having set up the MG, forced the enemy to retreat to the edge of the forest.”
This decoration was awarded to Private Stola for his bravery and decisive role in enabling his company’s successful counterattack.
The Polish Cross of Valor was awarded for acts of battlefield courage. The decoration takes the form of a cross, featuring a crowned Polish eagle with outstretched wings at its center. On the arms of the cross appears the inscription: “Na Polu Chwały 1920” (“On the Field of Glory 1920”).
The reverse features a laurel wreath and a sword, with the inscription “Walecznym” (“To the Valiant”). The serial number “31865” is stamped on the upper arm. The ribbon is a replacement, with a characteristic mounting bar.
