France, Vichy Government. An African Campaign Medal For Somalialand, Madagascar And French Equatorial Africa 1941-1944

In bronze, cornucopia hallmarked and marked ""BRONZE"" on the edge, 35 mm (w) x 44 mm (h), original ribbon, extremely fine.

Footnote: Vichy France is the common name of the French State headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during the Second World War. It represented the unoccupied ""Free Zone"" in the southern part of metropolitan France and French North Africa. From 1940 to 1942, while the Vichy regime was the nominal government of France as a whole, Germany militarily occupied northern France. Thus, while Paris remained the ""de jure"" capital of France, the ""de facto"" capital of southern, ""unoccupied"" France was the town of Vichy, 360 km (220 mi) to the south. Following the Allied landings in French North Africa in November 1942, southern France was also militarily occupied by Germany and Italy. The Vichy government remained in existence, but as a de facto client state of Nazi Germany. The Vichy government was suspended in late 1944 when the Allies liberated all of France

This offering is a part of the "Dr. Albert Goodwin Collection", a preeminent assemblage of world Orders, Medals, and Decorations composed solely by Dr.Goodwin between 1946-1967. Dr. Goodwin had a successful career as an educator and prominent physician in New York as well as actively serving in both World Wars with the United States Medical Corps. He acted as both President and Vice-President of the Orders and Medals Society of America (OMSA) and is responsible for organizing their first convention in 1960. He maintained further membership with the American Society of Military Collectors, the International Orders Research Society, and the American Numismatic Society. His knowledge and passion for history and awards is evident in this meticulously compiled collection that is now available in its entirety for the first time exclusively on eMedals.com.