Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Commemorative medal awarded to an unnamed German soldier who participated in the October 1, 1938, annexation of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia by Germany. It depicts two male figures representing the Sudetenland being freed from its shackles by Nazi Germany. The Sudetenland was a region of Czechoslovakia on the border with Germany where the majority of the population were ethnic Germans. In 1938, Hitler threatened to go to war unless the territory was ceded to Germany. At a conference in Munich on September 29-30, attended by Great Britain, France, Italy, and Germany, but not the democratic government of Czechoslovakia, the borders of Czechoslovakia were revised and the region was annexed to Germany in return for a pledge of peace from Hitler.
- Date
-
commemoration:
1938 October 01
- Geography
-
issue:
Germany
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of William King
- Markings
- reverse, in circle, around border, embossed : 卐 EIN VOLK 卐 EIN REICH 卐 EIN FÜHRER [One People / One Country / One Leader]
reverse, center, embossed : 1. / OKTOBER / 1938 - Contributor
-
Designer:
Richard Klein
Physical Details
- Language
- German
- Classification
-
Military Insignia
- Category
-
Medals
- Object Type
-
Medals, German (lcsh)
- Genre/Form
- Medals
- Physical Description
- Die cast, bronze colored, circular medal with a front relief image of 2 nude men: the figure on the right carries a flag with a swastika in his left hand; his right hand is on the shoulder of the other figure who wears shackles and a broken chain. They stand atop a Reichsadler, a dexter facing Imperial eagle gripping a wreath with a swastika in its talons. The reverse has embossed text around the edge and a date in the center. At the top is a bail with a suspension ring.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Width: 1.250 inches (3.175 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm)
- Materials
- overall : metal
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The medal was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2012 by William King.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-08-31 10:44:53
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn72177
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
- By Appointment
- Request 21 Days in Advance of Visit
- Plan a Research Visit
- Request to See This Object
Contact Us
Also in William King collection
The collection consists of two medals related to the experiences of an unknown soldier in the Germany Army during World War II.
Date: 1938 October-1942 April
Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 [Eastern Winter Campaign 1941/42 Medal]
Object
Eastern Winter 1941-1942 Campaign Medal [Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42] issued to an unnamed German soldier for participation in the first winter campaign of Operation Barbarossa, the German offensive against the Soviet Union, November 15, 1941 - April 15, 1942. Sometimes known as the Ostmedaille (East Medal) or Russian Front Medal, it was introduced on May 26, 1942. The conquest of Russia had been a core aim of Hitler's since the 1920s: Germany needed the living space in Eastern Europe and it needed to eliminate the Communist threat, which to Hitler was also part of the worldwide Jewish conspiracy. Germany launched Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941, attacking the Soviet Union along an 1800 mile front with the largest invading force in history to that point. The losses on both sides were enormous. By July, the Germans had advanced to within 200 miles of Moscow, but were pushed back to Smolensk by a Red Army counteroffensive in December. The Germans resumed the offensive in summer 1942 and reached the outskirts of Stalingrad in September. The German Army was defeated there in February 1943 and the Soviets maintained the offensive on the Eastern front until the end of the war. German Armed Forces in the west surrendered unconditionally on May 7, 1945, and in the east on May 9, 1945.
