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Miniature blackened bronze Greek cross with loop and ring for ribbon suspension; the face with the crowned cipher of King Vittorio Emanuele III 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; diameter 18.57mm (0.73 inch); without ribbon. The Cross was instituted by Royal Decree 205 on 19 January 1918 to be awarded to those whose military conduct deserved public recognition (che hanno tenuto … una condotta militare che li renda degni di pubblico encomio). It was replaced by a Republican version in 1949 following the abolition of the Italian monarchy.
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