Orders, decorations, and medals of Nazi Germany: Difference between revisions

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Awards and Decorations of Nazi Germany were military, political and civilian decorations which were bestowed between 1923 and 1945 by the Nazi Party and later the state of Nazi Germany.

The first awards began in the 1920s, before the Nazis had come to power in Germany, with the political decorations worn on early Party uniforms. Most early Nazis also displayed awards they may have earned as soldiers and sailors during the First World War or before.

After 1933, the state began issuing a variety of civilian decorations which could be bestowed upon any citizen of the Reich. Thus, some awards (such as Sports Badges) were bestowed on Nazi Party members, members of the German military, and regular civilians. Many standard awards of the German state, such as military and civil service long service decorations and life-saving medals, were redesigned to incorporate the Nazi symbol, the swastika.

Nazi military awards are by far the most commonly recognised. Military long service decorations, awards for participation in the Spanish Civil War and medals for the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland were among early awards, but the greatest number began to be bestowed in 1939 after the start of World War II. Regulations of award issuance also permitted the simultaneous wear of military, civilian, and political decorations on any military or para-military uniform of Nazi Germany, allowing for a wide variety of combinations in manner of wear and awards displayed.

Nazi awards and decorations were discontinued after the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. After the end of World War II, new German military awards were created under the authority of the West German military and the East German communist regime.

Orders

Badge And Ribbon	*Name (English/German)*	Creation Date – Cessation Date	Description	Number Awarded
File:Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (1939).jpg	Order Of The Star Of The Grand Cross Of The Iron Cross Stern zum Großkreuz Des Eisernen Kreuzes	1 September 1939 – 8 May 1945	Intended to be awarded to the most successful German General/Field Marshal of the Second World War, once Greater Germany had achieved victory.	0
	Order Of The Grand Cross Of The Iron Cross Großkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes	1 September 1939 – 8 May 1945	Awarded to victorious Generals/Field Marshals of German forces and her allies. Hermann Göring was the only recipient of this award during the second world war after his part in the victory over Poland, France, Denmark, Norway and the BeNeLux nations. He was awarded this award on 19 July 1940.	1
	Order Of The Knight's Cross Of The Iron Cross With Golden Oak Leaves, Swords And Diamonds Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit goldenem Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten	29 December 1944 – 8 May 1945	To be awarded after the second world war to Greater Germany's 12 greatest war heroes. Adolf Hitler prematurely awarded Hans-Ulrich Rudel with the golden oak leaves for continuous outstanding achievements and heroism. Then and to this day Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the greatest scoring ground-attack pilot in history.	1
	Order Of The Knight's Cross Of The Iron Cross With Oak Leaves, Swords And Diamonds Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten	28 September 1941 – 8 May 1945	Awarded for continuous bravery before the enemy or excellence in commanding troops after being awarded all preceding classes of the Knight's Cross/Iron Cross.	27
	Order Of The Knight's Cross Of The Iron Cross With Oak Leaves And Swords Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern	28 September 1941 – 8 May 1945	Awarded for continuous bravery before the enemy or excellence in commanding troops after being awarded all preceding classes of the Knight's Cross/Iron Cross.	160 (157 German, 1 Japanese, 2 Spaniards)^{[citation needed]}
	Order Of The Knight's Cross Of The Iron Cross With Oak Leaves Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub	3 June 1940 – 8 May 1945	Awarded for continuous bravery before the enemy or excellence in commanding troops after being awarded all preceding classes of the Knight's Cross/Iron Cross.	890 (882 German, 8 Axis Allies)
	Order Of The Knight's Cross Of The Iron Cross Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes	1 September 1939 – 8 May 1945	Awarded for continuous bravery before the enemy or excellence in commanding troops after being awarded all preceding classes of the Iron Cross.	7,318
File:GermanCrossInGoldWithDiamonds.jpg	Order Of The German Cross In Gold With Diamonds Kriegsorden des Deutschen Kreuzes in Gold mit Brillanten)	October 1942 – 8 May 1945	To be awarded for continuous bravery before the enemy or excellence in commanding troops (Having already being awarded the German Cross in Gold) but no awards were ever made.	0
	Order Of The German Cross In Gold Kriegsorden des Deutschen Kreuzes in Gold	28 September 1941 – 8 May 1945	Awarded for continuous bravery before the enemy or excellence in commanding troops (Not justifying the Knight’s Cross Of The Iron Cross but having already being awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class)	24,204 (24,190 German, 14 Axis Allies)
	Order Of The German Cross In Silver Kriegsorden des Deutschen Kreuzes in Silber	28 September 1941 – 8 May 1945	Awarded for significant performances in aiding/supplying the military war effort. (Not justifying the Knight’s Cross of either the Iron Cross or the War Merit Cross but having already being awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class or War Merit Cross 1st Class with Swords)	1,115
	Order Of The Iron Cross (1st Class) Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse	1 September 1939 – 8 May 1945	Awarded for continuous bravery before the enemy or excellence in commanding troops after being awarded the preceding class of the Iron Cross.	c730,000
	Order Of The Iron Cross (2nd Class) Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse	1 September 1939 – 8 May 1945	Awarded for bravery before the enemy or excellence in commanding troops.	c4,750,000

Nazi-era awards

The following articles deal with Nazi-era awards:

Pre-Nazi era awards

Orders, decorations and medals earned by Germans before the Nazi assumption of power continued to be worn and were incorporated into the prescribed orders of precedence and uniform regulations for the German armed forces and civil organisations in Germany. These included awards of Imperial Germany and its members states (Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, etc.), awards of the Weimar Republic and awards of Austro-Hungary (after the 1938 annexation, Austrian awards were treated as another class of state award like Prussian and Bavarian).

German decorations of the First World War were by far the most numerous of pre-Nazi era decorations displayed on Nazi uniforms. Prior to Hitler assuming power, when the Nazi Party was simply a paramilitary political party, Nazi uniforms also displayed several awards of the Freikorps. Awards of the German Freikorps were prohibited from wear after Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, with any veteran who had received one then eligible for the Cross of Honor of World War I. In all, nearly eight million persons applied for, and received, the Cross of Honor in lieu of a former unofficial veteran or Freikorps medal.

The military decorations of Nazi Germany were awards and medals bestowed by the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS between 1935 and 1945, during the rule of the Nazi Party in Germany and the years of World War II.

Military decorations

Unique medals and special degrees

Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross	Grand Cross of the Iron Cross	Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oakleaves Swords, and Diamonds	Golden Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross (Awarded with and without Swords)	German Cross with Diamonds
File:Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (1939).jpg				File:GermanCrossInGoldWithDiamonds.jpg

Military valor decorations

Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords, and Diamonds	Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves and Swords	Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves	Knights Cross of the Iron Cross

Meritorious military decorations

German Cross in Gold	Iron Cross First Class	Iron Cross Second Class	1939 Clasp to the Iron Cross	Military Honor Roll Clasp (Awarded for Army, Navy, and Air Force)

Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross (Awarded with and without Swords)	German Cross in Silver	War Merit Cross (First and Second Class) (Awarded with and without Swords)

Spanish Cross in Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awarded with and without Swords Special grade awarded in Gold with Diamonds Posthumous grade known as "Spanish Cross for Next of Kin of Fallen"

Military service decorations

Cross of Honor (1914–1918)	Eastern Front Medal	West Wall Medal^[1] Upgradeable to include 1944 Bar	Anschluss Medal	Memel Medal	Sudetenland Medal Upgradeable to include Prague Castle Bar

Military service medals

Wehrmacht Long Service Award Awarded for Army, Navy, and Air Force Awarded in grades of 4, 12, 18, 25, and 40 Years of Service	SS Long Service Award Awarded in grades of 4, 12, 18, and 25 Years of Service

Wound badges

Spanish Black Wound Badge of 1936–1939	Spanish Silver Wound Badge of 1936–1939	Spanish Gold Wound Badge of 1936–1939

Black Wound Badge of 1939–1945	Silver Wound Badge of 1939–1945	Gold Wound Badge of 1939–1945
File:Нагрудный знак за ранение-Чёрный (1939).svg	File:Нагрудный знак за ранение-Серебро (1939).svg	File:Нагрудный знак за ранение-Золото (1939).svg
Black Wound Badge of 20 July 1944	Silver Wound Badge of 20 July 1944	Gold Wound Badge of 20 July 1944

Arm shields and cuffbands

Arm shields

Breslau Shield 1933	Der Stahlhelm Wettkampfieger Shield 1938	Gross Britanien Shield 1940	Narvik Shield 1940	Crimea Shield 1941–1942	Cholm Shield 1942	Demyansk Shield 1942

Stalingrad Shield 1942–1943	Kuban Shield 1943	Lorient Schield 1944	Warschau Shield 1944	Balkan Shield 1944–1945	Budapest Schield 1944–1945	Lappland Shield 1944–1945

Cuffbands

Campaign cuffbands

1936 Spanien 1939 Cuffband Crete Cuffband Afrika Cuffband Metz 1944 Cuffband Kurland Cuffband

Military service badges

Army/Waffen-SS war badges

Infantry Assault Badge (Silver and Bronze)	General Assault Badge (also with engagement numbers 25, 50, 75 and 100)	Close Combat Clasp (Gold, Silver, and Bronze)	Tank Battle Badge (Silver and Bronze) (also with engagement numbers 25, 50, 75 and 100)	Army Anti-Aircraft Badge

Army Paratrooper Badge	Anti-Partisan Guerrilla Warfare Badge (Gold, Silver, and Bronze)	Balloon Observer's Badge (Gold, Silver, and Bronze)	Tank Destruction Badge (Gold and Silver)	Sniper's Badge (Third, Second and First Grade)	Tank Memorial Badge

Front Line Driver's Badge (Gold, Silver, and Bronze)	Badge for Destruction of Strafing Warplanes (Gold and Silver)	Condor Legion Tank Badge

Naval war badges

High Seas Fleet Badge	Destroyer War Badge	Minesweeper War Badge	Blockade Runner Badge

E-Boat War Badge	U-Boat War Badge	Auxiliary Cruiser Badge	Naval Artillery War Badge

U-Boat Combat Clasp (Gold and Silver)
File:U-boat Front Clasp.jpg

Naval Front Clasp	Small Battle Unit Combat Clasp

Luftwaffe war badges

Combined Pilots-Observation Badge	Pilot's Badge	Luftwaffe Paratrooper Badge

Anti-Aircraft Flak Battle Badge	Tank Combat Badge of the Luftwaffe	Ground Assault Badge of the Luftwaffe

Observer Badge	Glider Pilot Badge	Radio Operator Badge

Flyer's Commemorative Badge	Aircrew Badge	Air Gunner Badge

Luftwaffe flying clasps

Luftwaffe Flying Clasps

Luftwaffe Flying Clasps were awarded in Bronze, Silver, and Gold with upgrade possible to include diamonds. Pennants suspended from the clasp indicated the number of missions carried out in a given type of aircraft. Flying Clasps were issued for missions completed in the following Luftwaffe aircraft

Day Fighters
Night Fighters
Long-Range Night Fighters
Heavy Fighters
Air to Ground Support Fighters
Bombers
Reconnaissance
Transport and Glider

The Luftwaffe also maintained two non-portable awards, the first being the "Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe" ("Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg"). The second is the "Luftwaffe Honor Plate" ("Ehrenschale für hervorragende Kampfleistungen der Luftwaffe") was another non-portable award for outstanding combat performance. It was introduced on 15 June 1942 by the Reich Minister of Aviation and head of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Göring and was awarded to members of the Luftwaffe field army units as a counterpart to the honor of flying. About 50 were awarded, one of the recipients was Hans Sandrock^[2]^[3]

The Luftwaffe Honor Goblet 1940–1945	The Luftwaffe Honor Plate 1942–1944

Foreign division awards

Foreign division awards were specially intended for non-German volunteers serving in specially formed divisions serving under the German military.

Blue Division Medal	Ostvolk Medal First Class (Gold and Silver) (Awarded with and without Swords)	Ostvolk Medal Second Class (Gold, Silver and Bronze) (Awarded with and without Swords)

5th Don Cossack Regimental Cross^[4]	2nd Siberian Cossack Regimental Cross^[5]

References

^ The West Wall Medal was issued twice, once in 1939 and again in 1944. The 1944 version was commonly referred to as the "German Defense Medal". For those personnel who had already received the 1939 West Wall Medal, a "1944 Bar" was authorized to the decoration.
^ http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Orden/lw-es.html Ehrenschale für hervorragende Kampfleistungen der Luftwaffe]
^ https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/service_awards/honor_awards/non_portable/non_portable.htm Non portable Awards
^ Ailsby, Christopher (6 December 2015). "The 5th Don Cossacks Cavalry Regiment Cross". Ailsby Collection. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
^ "Cossack Volunteers". axis101.bizland.com. Retrieved 26 April 2018.

[1] The West Wall Medal was issued twice, once in 1939 and again in 1944. The 1944 version was commonly referred to as the "German Defense Medal". For those personnel who had already received the 1939 West Wall Medal, a "1944 Bar" was authorized to the decoration.

[2] ttp://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Orden/lw-es.html Ehrenschale für hervorragende Kampfleistungen der Luftwaffe]

[3] ttps://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/service_awards/honor_awards/non_portable/non_portable.htm Non portable Awards

[4] Ailsby, Christopher (6 December 2015). "The 5th Don Cossacks Cavalry Regiment Cross". Ailsby Collection. Retrieved 26 April 2018.

[5] "Cossack Volunteers". axis101.bizland.com. Retrieved 26 April 2018.

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