War Merit Medal

The War Merit Medal (Kriegsverdienstmedaille) was instituted on 19 August 1940 to recognize outstanding service by civilians in connection with the war effort. The medal was restricted to civilians - both German and non-German - and was awarded predominantly to those working in war factories.

The medal, designed by Professor Richard Klein of Munich, was bronze bearing the design of the War Merit Cross on the front, and the inscription "For War Merit 1939" (in German) on the reverse. It was suspended from a ribbon colored like the ribbon of the War Merit Cross, except for a thin red vertical strip added to the center of the black portion. When worn, it was worn either on the medal bar above the left breast pocket (soldiers who had earned the medal as civilians could wear it on the uniform), or with the ribbon only through the second buttonhole of the tunic. Since this was a non-combat award, the medal was only without swords.

After 15 May 1943, the award of this medal to foreigners was supplanted by the Medal of Merit of the Order of the German Eagle.

It is estimated that approximately 4.9 million medals were awarded by war's end.

The medal was presented in an envelope wrapper. The wrapper was blue with black lettering ("Kriegs-Verdienstmedaille 1939"), with the medal itself wrapped in a small piece of tissue paper. Envelope also comes in orange-brownish color with "Kriegs-Verdienstmedaille 1939" stamped on it.