The Partisan Cross was a Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 military decoration

Military decoration

A military decoration is a decoration given to military personnel or units for heroism in battle or distinguished service. They are designed to be worn on military uniform....

, awarded to World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 partisans (part of resistance movement

Resistance movement

A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...

 fighting in the countryside). It was introduced by the Council of Ministers on October 26, 1945.

It was awarded to organizers, commanders and members of partisan units who fought against Germans on a Polish territory, or to Poles who fought in partisan units in the USSR, Yugoslavia

Partisans (Yugoslavia)

The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...

 and France

French Resistance

The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...

, or to foreigners, who fought in partizan units on a Polish territory. It could be given also to cities or villages, that distinguished themselves in supporting the partisan movement.

It was awarded first by the Ministry of Defence, from 1952 by the Council of State

Polish Council of State

The Council of State of the Republic of Poland was introduced by the 1947 Small Constitution. It consisted of the President of the Republic of Poland, the Marshal and Vicemarshals of Constituent Sejm, President of the Supreme Chamber of Control and could consist of other members...

, from 1989 by the President of Poland. It ceased to be awarded in 1999. About 55,000 Partizan Crosses were awarded.

The Cross is a gold-plated Greek cross with thin arms, 38 x 38 mm. Obverse shows the eagle

Eagle

Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...

 in the centre (the Polish coat-of-arms) and an inscription: "ZA – POLSKĘ – WOLNOŚĆ – i LUD" (For Poland, Liberty and People) on arms. The reverse bears the horizontal inscription "PARTYZANTOM" (To partizans), and the date "1939" on an upper vertical arm and "1945" on a lower arm. A ribbon is dark green, 35 mm wide, with black strips 7 mm wide, near both edges.

In an order of precedency, the Partisan Cross was worn after Cross of Valour.