The Fourragère is a French military award, distinguishing military units as a whole.
History
The Fourragère was instituted by Napoleon, but actually has prior historic significance: after a hasty retreat from battle by a unit of Flemish troops, the Duke of Alva ordered that any further misconduct in that unit be punished by hanging, regardless of rank. Those Flemish troops then wore a cord tied into a hangman's noose on their shoulder going into their next battle, and fought so valiantly that the cord became a mark of distinction.
The fourragère is awarded to all membres of military unit which, as a whole, was awarded a military distinction. The medal itself is hung on the flag of the unit, and the membres are then given fourragères as a collective equivalent to the ribbon.
During the First World War, the French Ministry of War awarded the Fourragère to units which distinguished themselves more than once in the orders of the Army. There were then three fourragères: Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...
17 French military units wear the fourragère of the Ordre de la Libération (see article for the list).
The 5th and 6th regiments of the United States Marine Corps were awarded the Fourragère for having earned the Croix de Guerre with palm leaf twice during the First World War.
The unit twice decorated with the Croix de Guerre with palms was entitled to a braided and knotted cord, called Fourragere, in the green and red colors of the Croix de Guerre.
The Fourragere becomes part of the uniform of the unit so cited and all members of the organization are authorized to wear the decoration on the left shoulder of the uniform as long as they remain members of the organization.
According to Larousse's Grand Dictionary of the XIX Century, the Fourragere was originated by the Duke of Alva, a Spanish general.
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