The Ottoman War Medal (Turkish: Harp Madalyası), better known as the Gallipoli Star, or the Iron Crescent (from German Eiserner Halbmond, in allusion to the Iron Cross) was a military decoration of the Ottoman Empire which was instituted by the Sultan Mehmed Reshad V on 1 March 1915 for gallantry in battle. This decoration was awarded for the duration of World War I to Ottoman and other Central Powers troops, primarily in Ottoman areas of engagement.
Design and composition
The award includes a badge, ribbon and campaign bar.
Along with the badge came a ribbon with red and white stripes. The dimensions of the ribbon for combatants are: red 2.5 mm; white, 5 mm.; red, 29 mm.; white, 5 mm.; red 2.5 mm. For non-combatant awardees, the colors are reversed.
The campaign bar is a right-pointing parabola of white at 56mm in length and 7mm in height. In the field is redArabic script denoting the specific campaign:
- Chanakkale/Chanak (Gallipoli)
- Gaza
- Kanal
- Kut-al-Amara
- Sanatorium