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Auction: 19002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 832

An impressive - and scarce - Korean War group of five to a distinguished Ethiopian combatant

U.N. Korea 1950-53, Amharic inscription; South Korea, Republic, War Service Medal 1950-53; Order of Military Merit, 3rd Class, 36mm, silver-gilt and enamel, officially numbered '3666' to reverse, with Star upon riband; Ethiopia, Empire, Korean War Medal, 67mm x 52mm, silvered bronze; Coronation Medal of Haile Selassie I, 1st type, gold issue, 42mm, bronze-gilt, good very fine, mounted as originally worn in a loose court style, reflecting Ethiopian practice, the order of wear as described (5)

Over 3,000 Ethiopian servicemen, hand-picked from Emperor Haile Selassie I's bodyguard, served alongside the Allied nations during the Korean War. They were formed into three 'Kagnew' battalions, named after the warhorse of General Ras Makonnen, the Emperor's father. The Ethiopians acquitted themselves extremely well, having been trained in the mountains of Ethiopia prior to the campaign. The first Kagnew battalion landed in Korea in June 1951, under the command of Colonel Kebbede Guebre. All three battalions saw action at the Battle of Pork Chop Hill in April 1953, as part of Trudeau's 7th U.S. Division. Fierce hand-to-hand fighting ocurred, but it was noted that the Ethiopians always evacuated their dead and wounded comrades, regardless of the personal risk to themselves. Unlike other nationalities, no Ethiopian corpses remained on the field after the battle, earning the admiration of their American allies. The Ethiopians lost 121 killed and 536 wounded during the conflict, but no Ethiopian soldier was taken prisoner: each man fought to the last.

Recommended reading:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19639459

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Sold for
£2,000