Awards of
World War IIThe award was established on February 4, 1921, by the Sejm of the Polish Republic, and was restored by the Polish government in exile in 1940 as the highest award for services to the state and the people.
The Order of the White Eagle has one class and cannot be awarded again. It consists of a gilded cross of the order, an eight-pointed star, and a blue silk ribbon.
The order is in the shape of a gilded Maltese cross, with balls at the ends and sun rays radiating from beneath the cross. The cross itself is covered in translucent enamel, with a white border through which the scaly texture of the surface can be seen. A royal Polish eagle, with outspread wings and a crown on its head, is superimposed on the cross. The eagle is covered in white enamel, with gold feathers, claws, beak, and crown.
The reverse of the award features a medallion in the center, covered in white enamel, surrounded by an enameled laurel wreath. In the center of the medallion is the gilded monogram "RP." The rays of the medallion bear the following inscriptions: ZA on the top, OJCZY on the left, ZNE on the right, and I NAROD on the bottom. The rays are decorated with a white enamel border. A ring is soldered to the upper arm of the cross for attaching the order to a ribbon.
The star of the order is eight-pointed, designed as rays radiating from the center. A cross is superimposed on the star, repeating the reverse of the order. The differences are that the tips of the cross have no balls, and the surface of the cross is enameled with red enamel, as on the obverse of the order. Gilded rays radiate from beneath the cross.
On the reverse of the star is a vertical pin (or a pin with a nut) for attaching to clothing.
The Order of the White Eagle is worn on a ribbon over the left shoulder. The ribbon is light blue, silk, moiré, 100 mm wide. The star is worn on the left chest.