Italy – Cross of War Merit – Army medal Merito di Guerra

Bronze Greek cross with loop and original triangular ribbon suspension; the face with the cipher of the Italian Republic on the upper arm, an upright sword with oak branch on the lower arm, the lateral arms inscribed ‘MERITO DI GUERRA’; the reverse with a central five-pointed star on a rayed background; on original ribbon. The Cross was instituted by Royal Decree 205 on 19 January 1918 to be awarded to those whose military conduct deserved public recognition