Sudetenland Medal
| The 1 October 1938 Commemorative Medal (Sudetenland Medal) Die Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938 | |
|---|---|
 The medal's obverse (left) and reverse (right). | |
| Awarded by Nazi Germany | |
| Type | Chest order |
| Eligibility | Military personnel |
| Awarded for | Awarded for participation in the occupation of Sudetenland and the occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. |
| Campaign(s) | Interwar period |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 18 October 1938 |
| Last awarded | 31 December 1940 |
| Total awarded | 1,162,617 medals and 134,563 bars |
 The Prague Castle bar (Spange Prager Burg). | |
The 1 October 1938 Commemorative Medal (German: Die Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938), commonly known as the Sudetenland Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period.
Description
Instituted on 18 October 1938, the medal was awarded to German military personnel who participated in the occupation of Sudetenland and the occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.
The medal was awarded to all German (and as well Sudeten) State officials and members of the German Wehrmacht and SS who marched into Sudetenland. Later it was awarded to military personnel participating in the occupation of the remnants of Czechoslovakia on 15 March 1939. It was awarded until 31 December 1940. In all 1,162,617 medals and 134,563 bars were awarded.
Design
The medal was similar in appearance as the Anschluss Medal, the reverse only differed in the date. It was designed by Professor Richard Klein.
It is round and of the obverse there is a man standing of a podium with the Third Reich coat of arms and holding the Nazi flag, he holding the hand and helping him get on the podium of another man who had a broken shackle on his right hand, this symbolize the joining to the Reich of Austria. On the reverse side is the inscription "1. Oktober 1938" (1 October 1938). The date is surrounded with the words "Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer" (One People, One Empire, One Leader).
The medal was dye-struck and high in detail, with a bronze finish. The medal was suspended from a black ribbon with a red stripe in the middle, these being the colors of the Sudetenland.
Prague Castle Bar
For those who had participated in both the occupation of the Sudetenland and the annexation of Bohemia and Moravia on 15 March 1939, a bronze Bar (Spange "Prager Burg" zur Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938) was approved on 1 May 1939. This Bar featured the Prague Castle on the obverse with two triangular prongs in the back, which held it on the ribbon. The bar, like the medal, die-struck and high in detail, with a bronze finish. It was designed by the sculptor Hanish-Conée.
References
Doehle, Dr Heinrich (1943). Die Auszeichnungen Des Großdeutschen Reichs. Berlin, Germany: Berlin-Buch und Periodical Press. ISBN 0-9624883-4-8.