Germany Awards - Winter Battle East Medal (Eastern Medal)

The medal was established by the 26.05.1942 Reich Chancellor Hitler. She was supposed to express the great feat of the front-line soldiers in the winter battle in the East against the Bolshevik enemy. The period from 15.11.1941 to 14.04.1942 became decisive. A certain area was located east of the Wehrmacht regions of Ukraine and Ostland and east of the Finnish-Russian border. Along with Wehrmacht servicemen, foreign Wehrmacht servicemen, and later foreign volunteers from the occupied eastern regions, as well as women and factory workers, were also awarded this award. The condition was, in particular, 14 days of participation in hostilities in the area, 30 enemy flights, injuries or frostbite, or 60 days of probation in another operation at that time and in the indicated eastern area. It is also possible to reward the dead and missing. The medal was sent to the relatives of the victims. The rules were often not accurate, so O.K.W/WZ had to step in. Production was delayed, so the medals were not awarded until 1943. The author of the project is Ernst Krause. Minted medals with a silver helmet and steel helmet were awarded, as well as cast medals without silver appliqués. Embossed better in processing and rarer. Delivery took place using a certificate.

Round medal made of fine zinc with a silver-plated border (1.5 mm). A steel helmet is hung on top of the hand grenade, on top of which a round eye with a ribbon ring is put on. The hand grenade and steel helmet are also silver plated. There are also medals where the steel helmet is painted white. The front side is engraved in depth. The back side is smooth.

Front side:

In
• a deepened field of an elevated relief high eagle with lowered wings with its head to the right.
• The latter holds in its paws a directly standing swastika, under it a lying laurel branch.

Downside:

In
• top font 3 lines: - WINTER BATTLE -/- (more) IN THE EAST -/- 1941/1942 -
In
• the lower part, a sword and a laurel branch are crossed.

Tape:

red 30 mm wide, white/black/white central stripes 1 mm each.

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