German Awards - Schutzwall German Badge of Honour

This award was established on August 2, 1939 by Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler as a visible expression of gratitude and recognition for his services in creating and erecting the German defensive rampart. Proposals for awarding were made by the head of the Wehrmacht High Command, for Wehrmacht servicemen, the Inspector General of the German Road Service and the Imperial Labor Service (RADS). The proposals were then submitted by the Office of the President to the Reich Chancellor for a decision. Of decisive importance was the operation from June 15, 1938 to August 31, 1939. General award requirements required a 10-week deployment during this period. Exceptions such as conscription into the Wehrmacht, illness or accidents were considered. The application must be submitted to the appropriate employment office along with a personal card, police instruction and work book. Wehrmacht soldiers awarded the Sudetenland Medal or the Memeland Medal were suspended from the award. Similarly, workers participating in the emergency road building program in the east received the Sudetenland Medal, not the Protective Shaft badge of honor. An expansion of the number of eligible persons was made in 1944. Now the honorary sign was received by the persons who participated in the construction of the positions. The presentation included a certificate of ownership. The author of the project is Professor Richard Klein from Munich. The badge of honor was made of bronze, and at the end of the war from bronze zinc. Medals differ from each other in size and weight depending on the manufacturer. Wilhelm Deumer, Steinhauer & Luck, Wernstein, Carl Poellath, Werner Redo, Rudolf Souval and August Menze & Sohn are known as manufacturers, to name a few. Manufacturer's signatures, if any, are inserted into the ring of the tape with the number. In total, until 1941, about 622,000 medals were awarded.

Bronze oval medal. The edge is formed of an oak deciduous wreath, tied above and below and separated from the inside by a line. Above is a soldered ordinary eye with a ribbon ring.

Front side:

In
• the upper part is the emblem of the empire, an eagle with outstretched wings and a wreath with a cross.
• The tips of the wings reach the edge.
• Under it is a shovel crossed with a sword.
In the
• lower part there is a stylized bunker with 2 earthen ramparts in front of it.

Downside:

• On a smooth field, a 6-line font in Latin block letters:
• - FOR -/- WORK -/- FOR -/- PROTECTION -/- GERMAN -/- COUNTRIES -

Tape:

brown 32 mm wide, edge strips 2 mm, side strips white 5 mm.

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