Awards of the Kriegsmarine

Members of the German Kriegsmarine were eligible to receive all standard military decorations of the Third Reich, as well as certain civil awards and badges. Veterans of the First World could also display awards, medals, and badges from that period in addition to a World War I commemorative medal which was presented to any veteran of the conflict.

In general, the German armed forces did not allow Nazi political awards to be displayed on military uniforms, although there were some notable exceptions such as the Golden Nazi Party Badge and the German Order.

Awards for Valor

The highest German award for valor during the Second World War was the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, to which there were five degrees. The Knight's Cross was normally awarded the submarine commanders who had destroyed a record number of Allied shipping, but also was awarded to some engineering personnel for feats of heroism and bravery during damage control actions while under fire from the enemy.

The progressive grades of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (as shown above) were the standard Knight's Cross, the Knight's Cross with oak leaves, with oak leaves and swords, and the Knight's Cross with oak leaves, swords, and diamonds.

The highest grade of the Knight's Cross was known as the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. This grade was only awarded once to an Air Force fight pilot ace.

As a prerequisite for award of the Knight's Cross, a service member must first have received the lower award of the standard Iron Cross. There were two classes of the Iron Cross (First and Second) with both grades requiring heroic actions in direct contact with an enemy in order to be awarded.

The iron Cross Second Class was worn as a ribbon while the First Class was displayed as a full medal

Awards for Meritorious Service

For general service of a meritorious nature during wartime, the German armed forces awarded the War Merit Cross which was presented in two classes as well as a Knight's Cross version. The military version of the War Merit Cross was always awarded "with swords" to distinguish military versus civilian service.

The Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross, unlike its Iron Cross counterpart, did not include subsequent upgrades although, late in the war, a Golden Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross was established although it was never awarded to a member of the military. A "War Merit Medal" also existed, but this was strictly a civilian award usually presented for exceeding war factory production quotas.

In 1941, an intermediary award was created to bridge the gap between the Iron Cross and the Knight's Cross. The new award was known as the German Cross and was displayed as a "breast order" affixed to the lower right uniform pocket. The German Cross was issued in two grades - the gold grade was reserved for acts of military bravery while the silver grade was consider a civilian decoration for extreme meritorious service.

The three standard military meritorious service grades of the War Merit Cross: 2nd Class, 1st Class, and Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross

Some members of the German Navy, who had served in the fleet component of the German forces assigned to assist during the Spanish Civil War, were awarded another meritorious medal known as the Spanish Cross. The decoration was rare in the Kreigsmarine had typically only held by those members who had served onboard the German fleet deployed to Spain between 1936 and 1938.

The Spanish Cross was issued in three grades (above is shown the bronze grade - other grades were in silver and gold) as well as a special grade in gold with diamonds.

The German Order and the Golden Party Badge were two awards which were authorized for wear on German military uniforms. No member of the regular German military ever received the German Order while only a handful of officers, such as Chief of Staff-Field Marshall Wilhelm Keitel, were presented honorary Golden Party Badges.

Awards for Special Service

Special service awards were presented by the German government for accomplishments of a meritorious nature in the service of the German state. Two of the more widely presented special service awards were the Olympic Games Medal, for administrative and logistical services performed during the 1936 Olympics, as well as the Social Welfare Decoration which was presented for a wide variety of civil service actions both in peace and wartime.

Right: The Olympic Games Medal (2nd Class) and the First Class Social Welfare Decoration

The Olympic Games Medal was issued in two classes which the Special Welfare Decoration was presented as a third class ribbon, second class medal, and first class neck order. A "Star of the Social Welfare Decoration", worn on the breast pocket, also existed as did a supreme grade of the Social Welfare Decoration with diamonds. Both the Olympic Games Medal and Social Welfare Decoration were rarely presented to members of the Kriegsmarine, although awards within the Army and Air Force were slightly more common.

Awards for General Service

The German armed forces authored several medals and awards for general service in the military both during peacetime and times of war. Some of these decorations were connected with specific military campaigns; one of the most widely distributed campaign medals during World War II was the Eastern Front Medal which was presented to soldiers who had performed duty on the Russian (eastern front). Because this campaign was largely an Army affairs, very few Navy service members were presented this decoration. A similar decoration, the West Wall Medal, was more widely distributed since Navy members performed a variety of duties in France manning coastal defense positions and other similar assignments.

The Eastern Front and West Wall Medals

The German military also issued a number of "Arm Shields" which were campaign participation awards designed to be worn on the upper left sleeve of a service uniform. There were six amr shields created during World War II, with another two proposed for development. In all, only one arm shield (the "Narvik Shield" was extensively awarded to the Navy while the remainder were most confined to land based operations.

Left: A Kriegsmarine sailor displays the Narvik arm shield on the upper sleeve of his service uniform

In March 1936, the German military was authorized a general medal for years of service in the Wehrmahct. The original medal was issued in four classes (4, 12, 18, and 25 years of service), with a fifth class for 40 years of service created in 1939. Regulations also permitted wearing the ribbons for two classes at once to denote 16, 22, and 37 years respectively.

Awards for Occupation Service

Between 1938 and 1939, the German armed forces issued three medals (see left) for occupation duties of annexed territories which had been peacefully ceded to Germany. These military occupation medals, involving services performed in Austria, Czechoslovakia, and the Memel, were rarely issued to naval personnel.

Submarine Badges and Clasps

An upgrade to the award was the "U-boat Badge with diamonds", created in 1940 as a personal award from submarine service commander Karl Dönitz to the most highly successful U-boat commanders of the Second World War. the award was presented in total twenty nine times in personal ceremonies between Dönitz and the recipient. Dönitz himself was awarded a "special grade" of the diamonds U-boat badge which encrusted the entire front of the badge with circular gem stones.

In May 1944, to recognize additional feats of service beyond the criteria of the U-boat war badge, the German navy introduced the U-boat Front Clasp which was issued in three grades and awarded for a variety of services rendered onboard German submarines.

Another special service award was the Lifesaving Medal which was bestowed for acts of bravery involving saving another's life. Due to the German Navy's responsibility of water rescue operations, the Lifesaving Medal was occasionally awarded to Kriegsmarine personnel.

Right: The German Lifesaving Medal

A mainstay of the German submarine service was a decoration known as the U-boat War Badge (right), first created in October 1939 and awarded and completion of two operational combat U-boat patrols. The badge could also be awarded after a single patrol, or posthumously, for service members who were wounded of killed in action.

The three grades of the U-boat Front Clasp in bronze, silver, and gold