West Wall Medal

Country of origin : Germany
Material : Iron
Date : 2 August 1939
Intended for: Soldiers

Description of the item

The West Wall Medal (Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen) was a decoration of Nazi Germany. It was instituted on 2 August 1939 and was given to those who designed and built the fortifications on Germany's western borders, known as the Westwall or, in English, the Siegfried Line, between 15 June 1938 to 31 March 1939. On 13 November 1939 eligibility was extended to include servicemen of the Wehrmacht who served on the Westwall for at least ten weeks. In all 622.064 medals were awarded until 31 January 1941 when awards of the medal ceased.

The medal is an oval shape 40mm high and 33mm wide. The center pieces shows a fortification with 2 gun ports, a double edged sword and spade placed in a crossed form and above that an eagle with spread wings holding a wreath with a swastika in his claws.

In 1944, after the allied invasion, the medal was re-instituted and awarded to those who renovated and strengthened the fortifications on the western borders. This version of the medal was commonly known as the "Defence Wall Honor Award", to distinguish the decoration from its 1939 counterpart.

It was awarded to over 800.000 men in total by the end of the war. While the medal was not a particularly high-ranking award, it was still considered a significant recognition of service for those who had helped to construct and defend the fortifications along the western border of Germany.

Private collection

Most of the items displayed here come from my private collection. Except for major documents which are impossible to have. All the items always have so much history attached to them. This made me try and build up a tiny collection of which a few items are on displayed here. As, at least how I see it, this history of World War 2 needs to be preserved for future generations.