Medal
awarded to all soldiers of the Polish II Corps who fought in the battle
of Monte Cassino and the battles for Piedimonte and Passo Corno. After
the capture of Monte Cassino in May 1944, the Polish government-in-exile
(in London) created a campaign cross to commemorate the role of the
Polish II Corps (often known as Anders Army) in capturing this strategic
point, which had long blocked the Allied advance up the Italian
peninsula. A consignment of 50,000 crosses was ordered from a
manufacturer in Tel Aviv, then part of British-ruled Palestine, where
the Polish forces had spent part of 1942 and almost all of 1943 in
training.
A
total of 48,498 crosses (serial numbers 1 to 48,498) were awarded with
accompanying award documents issued in the field to each soldier who
took part in the battle.