The Medal for Oder, Neisse and Baltic () was a Polish commemorative medal awarded by the

Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic (1952–1989), formerly the Republic of Poland (1947–1952), and also often simply known as Poland, was a country in Central Europe that existed as the predecessor of the modern-day democratic Republic of Poland. ...

to commemorate those who directly participated in combat against the

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

for the liberation of Poland and the restoration of its old boundaries on the rivers the

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

, the

Neisse The Lusatian Neisse (; ; ; Upper Sorbian: ''Łužiska Nysa''; Lower Sorbian: ''Łužyska Nysa''), or Western Neisse, is a river in northern Central Europe.

and the coast of

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

History

The Medal for Oder, Neisse and Baltic was established by decree of the Council of Ministers of October 26, 1945:

"To commemorate the great victories of the Polish soldier who fought on new boundaries on the Oder and Nysa and on the coast of the Baltic Sea, regaining the Polish ancient Slavic lands in the west and north and reward participants of these fights."

In the decree, the medal was called ''Medal for the Oder, Nissa, Bałtyk'', with the then Polish name of the river Neisse - 'Nissa'. In the Act of February 17, 1960 on medals and decorations, the medal's name was changed to ''Medal for the Oder, Neisse, Baltic'' and it was then specified that it was awarded for people who took part in the battles for the borders on the Oder, Neisse and the Baltic Sea regions. The medal was awarded by the

Minister of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

on behalf of the

State National Council Krajowa Rada Narodowa in Polish language, Polish (translated as State National Council or Homeland National Council, abbreviated to KRN) was a parliament-like political body created during the later stages of World War II in Nazi Germany, German- ...

to soldiers who fought in the decisive period from March to April 1945 in units of the

1st Polish Army First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, 2nd Polish Army, 1st Armored Corps, and with air force units involved in the fighting on the Oder, the

Lusatian Neisse The Lusatian Neisse (; ; ; Upper Sorbian: ''Łužiska Nysa''; Lower Sorbian: ''Łužyska Nysa''), or Western Neisse, is a river in northern Central Europe.

and the

Baltic coast The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

from

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

. It could also be awarded to civilians and

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

personnel who cooperated with the

Polish Armed Forces in the East The Polish Armed Forces in the East (), also called Polish Army in the USSR, were the Polish military forces established in the Soviet Union during World War II. Two armies were formed separately and at different times. '' Anders' Army'', crea ...

, and whose actions contributed to the victory in the battle. From 1958, the medal was awarded by the State National Council. The Minister of National Defense transferred the right to award the medal to commanders of military districts, infantry divisions and the commander of the 1st Warsaw Cavalry Division. By the Act of October 16, 1992, the Medal for Oder, Neisse and Baltic was transferred to the category of commemorative (anniversary) insignia and medals with a validity period of up to May 8, 1995, inclusive. Subsequently, this period was extended until May 8, 1999. The regulations on awarding the medal and its description have not changed. Until 1987, 321,975 awards were made. Later, another 479 medals were issued. In total, 322,454 medals were awarded. By May 8, 1999, the awarding of the medal was deemed complete.

Appearance

The bronze medal of the Medal for Oder, Neisse and Baltic measures 33 mm in diameter. The

Polish eagle The coat of arms of Poland is the Coat of arms, heraldic symbol representing Poland. The current version was adopted in 1990. It is a white, crowned Eagle (heraldry), eagle with a golden beak and talons, on a red background. In Poland, the coat ...

is placed at the top of the medal, holds a roll in its claws with on it an image of the map of Poland, with its main rivers and the cities

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

(W),

(G),

(S) and

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

(W). The map is framed by narrow border. Around the map is the inscription: "ZA Odrę - Nysę - Bałtyk" (For 'Oder', 'Neisse', 'Baltic'). On the obverse there is the Polish inscription: "RP-ZWYCIEZCOM-III.1945-IV.1945" ('RP', 'To the victors', 'March 1945', 'April 1945') in underlined words. There is a second version of medal, which differs from the first in terms of the fact that on the front side of the medal on the map there are no designations of the main Polish cities. The ribbon is 35 mm and dark blue with two longitudinal stripes of white-blue along the sides. Width of longitudinal stripes is 4 mm.

References

{{reflist Military awards and decorations of Poland Polish campaign medals Awards established in 1945 Awards disestablished in 1999