The Army of Occupation of Germany Medal is a

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

service medal A service medal is an award to individuals who participated in designated wars, campaigns, or expeditions, or who have fulfilled specific service requirements in a creditable manner. Service medals are sometimes also campaign medals. Examples of ...

established by an

Act of Congress An act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...

on November 21, 1941, (55 Stat 781). The military award recognized service in Germany or Austria-Hungary between November 12, 1918 and July 11, 1923.

Background

The Army of Occupation of Germany Medal was established by Public Law 322,

77th United States Congress The 77th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 194 ...

on November 21, 1941, and announced in War Department Bulletin 34, dated December 10, 1941, and War Department Circular 176 dated June 6, 1942.

Design

The Army of Occupation of Germany Medal was designed by Mr. T. A. Rovelstad, Heraldic Division, Office of the Quartermaster General, in June 1942, and was approved by the Secretary of War on July 8, 1942. The medal is Bronze and 1 1/4 inches in diameter. On the obverse is a profile of General John J. Pershing, encircled by four stars indicating his insignia of grade as Commanding General of the Field Forces. In the lower left is the inscription "GENERAL JOHN J. PERSHING" and on the right is a laurel wreath superimposed by a sword with the dates "1918" and "1923" enclosed by the wreath. The obverse of the medal includes the dates of the U.S. Occupation of Germany. The reverse depicts the American eagle perched with outspread wings standing on

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (, ) is a fortress in the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the east bank of the Rhine where it is joined by the Moselle, overlooking the town of Koblenz. Occupying the position of an ea ...

, which overlooks the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

Coblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman military post by Drusus . Its name originates from ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, encircled by the words "U.S. ARMY OF OCCUPATION OF GERMANY" and three stars at the bottom of the medal. The three stars on the reverse symbolize the Third Army, which comprised the occupation forces of Germany. The ribbon is 1 3/8 inches in width consisting of the following stripes: 1/16 inch Ultramarine Blue 67118; 1/16 inch Scarlet 67111; 3/16 inch White 67101; 3/4 inch Black 67138 (center); 3/16 inch White; 1/16 inch Scarlet; 1/16 inch Ultramarine Blue.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1941 establishments in the United States Aftermath of World War I in Germany Awards established in 1941 United States service medals Military awards and decorations of World War I