Hobbies And Interests
Service Ribbons
By far the most common ribbons were awarded for simply serving in the Heer for a specific amount of time. The so-called "Long Service" medals were awarded for four, 12, 18 and 25 years of service. These ribbons all had a deep blue background and were embellished with the familiar German eagle holding a swastika clutched in its talons. The medal itself, suspended from the ribbon, indicated the length of service of the recipient. Four and 12 year recipients were not uncommon, while 18 and especially 25 year recipients were much more rare.
Campaign Ribbons
Campaign ribbons were another common form of decoration for Heer soldiers. Given the number of soldiers who saw action on the Russian front from 1941 to 1942, the Eastern Front ribbon, sporting a crimson background with a single narrow black stripe running down the middle flanked by a narrow white stripe on either side, was regularly spotted on soldiers returning from the East. Members of the Afrika Corps were awarded Italo-German Afrika Campaign medals, the ribbons featuring alternating stripes of black, white, red, white and green, symbolizing the colors of the German and Italian flags. Defenders of the West Wall from 1944 to 1945 were decorated with West Wall campaign medals. West Wall campaign ribbons were a unique burnished gold color with a white stripe running down either side.
Ribbons for Meritorious Service
Ribbons for acts of heroism or deeds deserving special recognition were proudly displayed by the wearer. By far the most common, and most readily recognizable, was the Iron Cross. The Iron Cross is a decoration steeped in tradition, the order first being founded in 1813 during the Wars of Liberation. There were several grades of Iron Cross -- second class, first class, knights cross, etc. -- but the ribbon for all was the same: a broad crimson stripe down the middle, flanked on either side by stripes of white and black. The ribbon could be worn on the left breast along with other ribbons, but was also commonly displayed in full dress uniform around the neck with the cross suspended from it. Almost as recognizable was the War Merit Cross, which was awarded for acts above and beyond the call of duty. This ribbon, featuring a broad black stripe down the middle with narrower stripes of white and red on either side, was interesting in that many recipients chose to wear the ribbon with one end attached to the second button on their tunic, folded over the flap and attached on the underside to the third button.
Miscellaneous Ribbons
The Sudetenland Annexation medal would ordinarily fit into the category of a campaign medal except for the fact that it was awarded for action prior to the official declaration of war in 1939. This ribbon was awarded to those Heer members who took part in the Nazi invasion of Sudeten Czechoslovakia in 1938. It features a ribbon with a black stripe down either side flanking a red stripe in the middle. Another relatively common ribbon that is hard to categorize elsewhere was the Romanian Crusade Against Communism medal. This award was actually produced and awarded by the Romanian government to Germans who took part in battles against the Soviets in Romania in late 1944 to 1945. The ribbon is recognized by its red background with a band of horizontal stripes of blue, yellow and red -- the colors of the Romanian flag -- running down the middle. In addition there are two thinner stripes down either side with hash marks of black and white.