The Eastern Medal (), officially the Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal (), was a military

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

of the ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

'' which was created by ordinance of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

on 26 May 1942. The Eastern Medal was awarded to any member of the ''Wehrmacht'' or ''

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

'' who served on the German Eastern Front during the winter campaign, within the period from to . It was also awarded posthumously to any service member who died in the line of duty within the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. It was wryly called the ''Frozen Meat Medal'' or the "Order of the Frozen Flesh" ().

Criteria

''Wehrmacht'' personnel qualified for the Eastern Medal after a minimum of 14 days in active combat; 30 air combat

sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warf ...

s; 60 days continuous of service in a combat zone; being wounded or suffering a "frozen limb", severe enough to warrant the issue of a

Wound Badge The Wound Badge () was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the Imperial German Army, German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between the worl ...

, and it could be awarded posthumously. On 20 January 1943, official qualification for the Eastern Medal was extended to include both male and female combatant and non-combatant personnel in the ''Wehrmacht''. Also, foreign members of ''Wehrmacht units''; personnel killed or missing in action and civilians working under ''Wehrmacht'' control, including those involved in construction and road building. Geographic limits were placed on the award of east of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

and ''Ostland'' or in the

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

area, east of the original 1940 Russo/Finnish border. The Eastern Medal was officially decommissioned by the ''

Oberkommando der Wehrmacht The (; abbreviated OKW ː kaːˈveArmed Forces High Command) was the Command (military formation), supreme military command and control Staff (military), staff of Nazi Germany during World War II, that was directly subordinated to Adolf ...

'' () (''OKW'') on 4 September 1944.

Appearance

The Eastern Medal was designed by SS-'' Unterscharführer'' Ernst Krause. Measuring in diameter, of (generally) zinc construction, the medal was given a gun-metal coloured coating. The concave obverse side features a national socialist eagle grasping a

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

with laurel behind. The reverse features the text in capital letters: "WINTERSCHLACHT IM OSTEN 1941/42" ("Winter Battle in the East 1941–42") featuring a crossed sword and branch below the text. A helmet and stick grenade below the medal loop as well as outer ring were finished in a polished silver effect. The medal measures approximately 44mm by 36mm. The Service ribbon featured a central white-black-white (white for snow, black for the fallen soldiers) stripe with red (for blood) either side. The medal and ribbon were presented in a paper packet with the name of the medal on the front and the maker name on the reverse. Like the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

2nd Class (EK II) 1939–45, the Eastern Medal's ribbon was worn either from the second buttonhole of the uniform tunic or on a ribbon bar. Where the two ribbons were worn together in the buttonhole, the EK II appeared in front of the Eastern Medal. Over three million medals were issued and many more manufactured. While wear of Nazi era awards was initially banned in 1945, the Eastern Medal was among those re-authorised for wear by the

Federal Republic of 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 constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...

in 1957. With Nazi symbols now forbidden, the award was re-designed by removing the swastika, the eagle on the obverse now standing solely on a laurel branch.

Notes

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eastern Medal 1942 establishments in Germany 1944 disestablishments in Germany Awards established in 1942 Awards disestablished in 1944 German campaign medals Military awards and decorations of Nazi Germany