| Defence Cross for Distinguished Service | |
|---|---|
 Ribbon of the D.C.D. | |
| Type | Decoration |
| Awarded for | Distinguished service to Rhodesia's armed forces |
| Country | Rhodesia |
| Post-nominals | D.C.D. |
| Status | No longer awarded |
| Established | 1970 |
| First award | 1975 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Bronze Cross of Rhodesia |
| Equivalent | Police Cross for Distinguished Service Rhodesia Prison Cross for Distinguished Service |
| Next (lower) | Meritorious Conduct Medal |
The Defence Cross for Distinguished Service was a Rhodesian military decoration awarded for distinguished service to Rhodesia's armed forces.
The award was instituted in 1970 by Presidential Warrant, the first awards being made in 1975.
The medal was a sterling silver cross worn on the breast, with at its centre a roundel containing a device of a lion's head and the legend FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE, while the reverse was blank. The medal was impressed in small capitals with the recipient's name on the reverse, and was awarded with a case of issue, miniature medal for wear, and an illuminated certificate. The ribbon was half scarlet, half Cambridge blue, with a central silver stripe and green edges. 
19 awards of the Defence Cross for Distinguished Service were made between 1970 and 1979.[1] Recipients included Army Generals Peter Walls, Derry McIntyre, and Bruce Campling.
Recipients were entitled to the post-nominal letters D.C.D.
The Defence Cross for Distinguished Service fell into abeyance following Zimbabwe Rhodesia's adoption of majority rule in 1979, and the country's transformation into Zimbabwe a year later. It has been partially replaced by the military division of the Zimbabwean Medal for Meritorious Service.
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