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Medal for Gallantry and Merit for Members of the Eastern Peoples (german: Tapferkeits und Verdienstauszeichnung für Ostvölker) was a
Medal for Gallantry and Merit for Members of the Eastern Peoples (german: Tapferkeits und Verdienstauszeichnung für Ostvölker) was a military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
and paramilitary
A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
award of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. Established on 14 July 1942, it was bestowed on personnel from the former Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
(Ostvolk in German, literally "Eastern people"), who volunteered to fight alongside German forces. The Medal is sometimes called the Ostvolk Medal or Eastern People's Medal, (german: Ostvolkmedaille, link=no).
In addition to the Ostvolk medal, eastern volunteers were also eligible for German war medals and badges.
The Ostvolk medal features an octagonal (eight pointed) star with a plant pattern in the centre. There were two classes:
*1st class - 50 mm in diameter, attached to the left uniform pocket by a pin and clasp. It could be awarded in gold or silver.
*2nd class - 40 mm in diameter worn on a 32 mm wide ribbon from the left chest. It could be awarded in gold, silver or bronze, each having a separate ribbon design:
**gold: green with a red stripe towards each edge;
**silver: green with a white stripe towards each edge;
**bronze: plain green.
Each version of both classes could be awarded either with swords for bravery or without swords for merit.
The 1st class was only awarded to those who had already received the 2nd class although, exceptionally, the two classes could be awarded together. Women, for example nurses, were also eligible for the medal.
From November 1942, German officers and NCOs serving with Ostvolk units were eligible for the 1st class and 2nd class in silver with swords, provided they held the corresponding class of the Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...
. In February 1944, German personnel became eligible for the 1st class and 2nd class without swords where they held the corresponding class of the War Merit Cross
The War Merit Cross (german: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Merit ...
with swords.
Wear of Nazi era awards was banned in 1945. In 1957 the Eastern People's Medal was among the World War II decorations re-authorised for wear by the Federal Republic of Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
. While many awards were re-designed to remove the swastika
The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...
, the original Eastern People's Medal could be worn unaltered as it did not bear this symbol.
Classes
Notes
{{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II Military awards and decorations of Germany Orders, decorations, and medals of Nazi Germany Awards established in 1942 1942 establishments in Germany