Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Belgian group of three attributed to Corporal Albrecht Croenen, 2nd Battalion 1st Regiment de Carabiniers, mortally wounded in action, 26 May 1940

Belgium, Order of Leopold II, Knight’s breast badge, with bronze ‘L’ palm, bilingual, base silver metal and enamel; Croix de Guerre, ‘LII’ cypher, with bronze ‘L’ palm on ribbon; War Commemorative Medal 1940-45, with crossed sabres on ribbon, extremely fine (3) £100-140

‘The Knight of the Order of Leopold II with palm and the War Cross 1940 with palm, awarded under Decree No. 6109, June 2, 1949, by Charles, Prince of Belgium, Regent of the Kingdom, for the following citation:

For “Has defended courageous on Mai 26th, 1940 the bridge of Raverschoot. Has fallen glorious for his country while he was taken the enemy under machine-gun fire”.’ (translation).

Albrecht Croenen was born in Goind on 19 February 1919. As a Corporal and acting as machine-gun team leader with the 12th Company, 2nd Battalion 1st Regiment de Carabiniers, it was reported by Sergeant Moeneclaey, Brussels, 26 March 1948, that:

‘Corporal Croenen was wounded in the head and in the legs by shrapnel from his own machine gun, which was pulverised by an exploding bomb and anti-tank shell. On 26 May (1940), when the 1st Carabiniers were in position on the left bank of the division at the Lys deviation canal, a violent enemy bombardment took place, in preparation for the attack, and sprayed the sector. A strong enemy patrol tried to cross the canal at the adjoining point of III/1C with the neighbouring regiment. This regiment took no action even though the enemy was moving with portable bridges to cross the canal. Corporal Croenen, in spite of bad visibility and under fire, fired upon the enemy. Unfortunately, he was no doubt seen by the enemy scouts who occupied the opposite bank above III/1C. Croenen’s equipment quickly became the objective of an anti-tank cannon which, at the fourth shot, destroyed Croenen’s machine and wounded the Corporal in the head and leg. Croenen showed great courage and when he was transferred to the battalion’s first aid post, he still had the force to pull himself into the trench in spite of his injuries when a bomb hit the house that sheltered the wounded. For his cool headed behaviour and his courage, Croenen, who had always been a soldier of exemplary conduct, well merits a posthumous award.’ (translation)

With original award document with citation, for the Order of Leopold II and Croix de Guerre; award document for the War Medal 1940-45; modern certificate and translation of the former and copied recommendation with rough translation.

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