The Distinguished Service Medal of the National People's Army, or "Medal of Merit of the National People's Army", (german: Verdienstmedaille der Nationalen Volksarmee) was a medal issued in the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
(GDR).
Established on June 1, 1956 in three levels, Gold, Silver and Bronze. It was awarded for outstanding merit and personal readiness in support of the increase of combat capability and combat readiness of the
National People's Army
The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990.
The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) an ...
(NPA).
Awarded in the name of the Minister for National Defense it was presented on the "National People's Army Day", 1 March, on the Day of the Republic, 7 October, or immediately after the achievement.
Classes
The medal was granted in three classes: bronze, silver, and gold. The ribbon bars are depicted below.
File:GDR_Verdienstmedaille_NVA_3_BAR.png, Bronze
File:GDR_Verdienstmedaille_NVA_2_BAR.png, Silver
File:GDR_Verdienstmedaille_NVA_1_BAR.png, Gold
Award criteria
The medal was presented to:
:People’s Army of the GDR, here Officers:
1 governmental‘s decorations, ribbon bares (orders, honorary titles, medals);
2 nongovernmental‘s prizes;
3 non-state‘s awards;
4 Graduate badge.
*Members of the -
**Landstreitkräfte (Army)
**Volksmarine (Navy)
**Luftstreitkräfte (Air Forces)
**Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS / Ministry for State Security), commonly known as the
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the (),An abbreviation of . was the Intelligence agency, state security service of the East Germany from 1950 to 1990.
The Stasi's function was similar to the KGB, serving as a means of maint ...
(including Stasi agents and informers)
*Individuals in
civil service
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
*Individuals employed by the National People's Army
*Individuals who are not members of the National People's Army
*Collectives with membership of any of the previously mentioned groups
By regulation all three levels could be awarded to any rank in the armed forces. But in practice, the gold medal was usually reserved to field grade and
general officer
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...
s, while the silver and bronze grades were more commonly awarded to noncommissioned officers (NCOs) and company grade officers.
An individual of any rank who had earned the Best Soldier badge (german: Bestenabzeichen) for seven consecutive years was eligible for the bronze medal, for nine years the silver medal and twelve years the gold medal.
Medal description
The medal was designed by the
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
graphic artist Paul Gensch. It is round and either bronze colored (Bronze), silvered (Silver) or gilded (Gold) and has a diameter of 35 mm (1.4 inches). On the front are profiles of the busts of a 1950s era
sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
,
airman
An airman is a member of an air force or air arm of a nation's armed forces. In certain air forces, it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank. An airman can also be referred as a soldier in other definitions.
In civilian aviation usage, t ...
, and
soldier
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
representing the nation's Land, Air, and Naval forces, under which is spelled out "DDR". On each side of this are three
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
with an acorn. The words ''FÜR HERVORRAGENDE VERDIENSTE'' (FOR OUTSTANDING MERIT) form the upper part of the medal, the lower part contain the words ''NATIONALE VOLKSARMEE'' (NATIONAL PEOPLE'S ARMY).
On the reverse side are the state
coat of arms of East Germany
The national emblem of East Germany featured a hammer and a compass, surrounded by a ring of rye. It was an example of what has been called " socialist heraldry". It was the only heraldic device of a European socialist state with a ring of grai ...
, surrounded with the words ''FÜR DEN SCHUTZ DER ARBEITER- UND-BAUERN- MACHT'' (FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE WORKERS-AND-FARMERS-POWER) surrounded by two branches of
laurel
Laurel may refer to:
Plants
* Lauraceae, the laurel family
* Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel
People
* Laurel (given name), people with the given name
* Laurel (surname), people with the surname
* Laurel (mus ...
.
The medal is suspended from a five sided cloth ribbon which is 48 mm (1.9 inches) at the widest point. The ribbon is red with black narrow edge stripes and a narrow yellow stripe 1 mm (1/32 inch) from the black edge stripe. The Silver medal is suspended from the same basic ribbon but has the addition of a 3 mm (just over 3/32 inch) wide center stripe of silver/white. On the Gold medal ribbon the center stripe is gold/yellow.
The ribbon bar is 24 mm (just under 1 inch) wide, rectangular and corresponds with the medal ribbon.
The medal was awarded with a certificate and financial allowance and was worn on the left upper chest.
Medal variations
Several distinct variations of each grade of this medal exist. According to research by John Standberg the different types are:
Gold
*1st Type (1956–57) - 900 Silver, gold plated, content stamp on rim at 6 o'clock, serial numbered at 12 o'clock on reverse. Obverse has dots separating inscriptions
*2nd Type (1958–59) Same as Type 1, without dots
*3rd Type (1959–60) Same as Type 2, without serial number
*4th Type (1960–72) 900 Silver, gold plated, content stamp below the branches on the reverse at 6 o'clock, no serial number Obverse has dots.
*5th Type (1973–76) Same as Type 4, bronze, gold plated.
*6th Type (1975) Same as Type 4, "9" in content stamp is distinctly different.
*7th Type (1977–83) Same as Type 5, with "-UND-", 34.7 mm in diameter
*8th Type (1983–86) Same as Type 7,35 mm in diameter
*9th Type (1986–90) Same as Type 8, grain stalks in the NV A emblem are stylized and closed
Silver
*1st Type (1956–57) 900 Silver, gold plated, content stamp on rim at 6 o'clock, serial numbered at 12 o'clock on reverse. Obverse has dots separating inscriptions
*2nd Type (1958–59) Same as Type 1, without dots
*3rd Type (1959–60) Same as Type 2, without serial number
*4th Type (1960–73) 900 Silver, gold plated, content stamp below the branches on the reverse at 6 o'clock, no serial number Obverse has dots.
*5th Type (1973–76) Same as Type 4, bronze, gold plated.
*6th Type (1975) Same as Type 4, "9" in content stamp is distinctly different.
*7th Type (1977–83) Same as Type 5, with 11 -UND-", 34.7 mm in diameter
*8th Type (1983-86) Same as Type 7, 35 mrn in diameter
*9th Type (1986-90) Same as Type 8, grain stalks in the NVA emblem are stylized and closed
Bronze
*1st Type (1956-57) Serial numbered at 12 o’clock on reverse. Obverse has dots separating inscription.
*2nd Type (1958-59) Same as Type 1, without dots.
*3rd Type (1959-60) Same as Type 2, without serial number
*4th Type (1960-76) Same as Type 1, without serial number
*5th Type (1977-83) Same as Type 4, with "-UND-", 34.7 mm
*6th Type (1983–86) Same as Type 5, 35 mm in diameter
*7th Type (1986–90) Same as Type 6, grain stalks in the NVA emblem are stylized and closed
Well known recipients
* Gold -
Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler
Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler (28 April 1918 – 20 September 2001) was an East German journalist, communist propagandist and host of the television show '' Der schwarze Kanal'' (german: link=no, The Black Channel) from 21 March 1960 to 30 Octobe ...
famous for his reporting for
Der schwarze Kanal
''Der schwarze Kanal'' (german: The Black Channel) was a series of political propaganda programmes broadcast weekly between 1960 and 1989 by East German television Deutscher Fernsehfunk. Each edition was made up of recorded extracts from recent ...
.
* Bronze -
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
awarded in 1988 by
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the (),An abbreviation of . was the Intelligence agency, state security service of the East Germany from 1950 to 1990.
The Stasi's function was similar to the KGB, serving as a means of maint ...
chief
Erich Mielke
Erich Fritz Emil Mielke (; 28 December 1907 – 21 May 2000) was a German communist official who served as head of the East German Ministry for State Security (''Ministerium für Staatsicherheit'' – MfS), better known as the Stasi, from 1957 u ...
for his service as a
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
agent in
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
and
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
.
See also
*
Awards and decorations of East Germany
Following the 1949 establishment of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) the new state prohibited the wearing of all pre-1945 German decorations and created a new system of awards inspired in part by those of the USSR.
After German reunificatio ...
*
National People's Army
The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990.
The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) an ...
References
* ''Taschenlexikon Orden und Medaillen Staatliche Auszeichnungen der DDR'', VEB Bibliographisches Institute, Leipzig, 1983
* Standberg, John E., Auszeichnungen der Nationalen Volksarmee Part II, Die Nationale Volksarmee Issue No 11, Spring 1996
* Pickard, Ralph, ''Stasi Decorations and Memorabilia; A Collector's Guide'', Frontline Historical Publishing, Lorton, VA, 2007
Orders, decorations, and medals of East Germany
Awards established in 1956
Awards disestablished in 1990
1956 establishments in East Germany