Bidspirit auction | Set of Third Reich Commemorative

Set of Third Reich Commemorative Medals: Westwall, Winter Battle in the East, and Faithful Service M - A set of three German medals comprising the Westwall Medal with an eagle grasping a swastika above a spade, shovel, and pick, inscribed ”Für Arbeit zum Schutze Deutschlands”; the Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 medal depicting a helmeted eagle over a wreathed swastika; and a Faithful Long Service Cross (Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen) with an enameled swastika at center and ”Für treue Dienste” inscribed on the reverse panel. Each of these awards was instituted to recognize distinct forms of wartime and civil service during the Third Reich era. The Westwall Medal honored those who labored on Germany's western fortifications, the Winter Battle in the East medal was awarded to troops who endured the 1941/42 Eastern Front campaign, and the Faithful Service Cross recognized long-term civil or military service. The Westwall Medal (Schutzwallehrenzeichen) was instituted in 1939 to recognise the engineers, laborers, and Organisation Todt workers who built the fortified line along Germany's western border facing France. The Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 medal, popularly called the ”Ostmedaille” or ”Frozen Meat Medal, ” was awarded to Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, and allied personnel who served on the Eastern Front during the catastrophic first winter campaign against the Soviet Union, marked by severe cold and heavy casualties. The Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen (Faithful Long Service Cross) continued a German tradition of long-service awards, granted in various grades to civil servants and public employees for years of loyal service to the state.