This medal was introduced on May 26,1942, to honor those who participated in the first Winter of Operation Barbarosa. It is known as "Ostmedaille" (East Medal), or Russian Front Medal. Created by SS Unterschrfuhrer Ernst Kraus, it was presented to those who met the following criteria during November 15, 1941 and April 26, 1942.

• Fourteen days of combat participation, 30 combat sorties for Luftwaffe pilots.
• Sixty days of service in the combat zone (even if not engaged in actual combat).
• Having received wounds, or frostbite severe enough to warrant a Wound Badge.

In case of death the Medal was awarded posthumously and was presented to the next of kin. It was also awarded to German Allies, notably the Italian and Rumanian forces, as well as those volunteers from the invaded Eastern territories who joined the German cause.

The Medal itself features a concave obverse with a helmet and stick grenade immediately below the ribbon loop. Below it was German Eagle holding a swastika, which surmounted a branch of leaves. Its convex reverse had the inscription "WINTERSCHLACHT IM OSTEN 1941/42" (Winter Battle in the East) in capital letters with a sword and wreath of leaves crossed under it. It was held by a dark red ribbon with a thin white-black-white stripe. Its foundation decree stated that the red signified the blood shed in the struggle, the white represented the snow, and the black honored the memory of those fallen during the campaign.

The Medal was presented in a paper envelope which bore the name of the award and its institution order called for it to be worn as part of a group for official purposes. Active duty personnel were to wear the ribbon from the second button hole in the tunic, a place normally reserved only for the Iron Cross and/or War Merit Cross 2nd class, or on a ribbon bar. Though widely distributed the Eastern Front Medal was held in high regard, and it is of interest to note that it can sometimes be seen outranking the War Merit Cross 2nd class. By order of the OKW, all considerations for presentation stopped on September 4th, 1944.

A German motorized machine gun crew watches Panzers
drive by in the early stages of Operation Barbarosa.

Eastern Winter Campaign Medal
Obverse	Reverse	Issue Envelope

Eastern Campaign Medal Recipient Story

Campaign Awards Main