Orders, decorations, and medals of Nazi Germany

Awards and decorations of Nazi Germany were military, political, and civilian decorations that were bestowed between 1923 and 1945, first by the Nazi Party and later the state of Nazi Germany.

The first awards began in the 1920s, before the Nazis had come to national power in Germany, with the political decorations worn on Party uniforms, along with any awards they may have earned during the First World War or before.

After 1933, the state began issuing a variety of civilian decorations, which could be bestowed upon any citizen of Germany. Thus, some awards (such as Sports Badges) were bestowed on Nazi Party members, members of the German military, and regular civilians. Many standard awards of the German state, such as life-saving medals, were redesigned to incorporate the Nazi symbol, the swastika.

A number of military awards were established pre-war, including Wehrmacht long service decorations, followed by awards for participation in the Spanish Civil War and for the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland, with the greatest number established after the start of World War II in 1939. Regulations of award also permitted the simultaneous wear of military, civilian, and political decorations on any military or paramilitary uniform of Nazi Germany.

Nazi awards and decorations were discontinued after the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, with display of the swastika banned. In 1957 the Federal Republic of Germany permitted qualifying veterans to wear many Nazi-era awards on the Bundeswehr uniform, including most World War II valor and campaign awards, provided the swastika symbol was removed. This led to the re-design of many awards with, for example, the swastika being replaced by a three-leafed oakleaf cluster on the Iron Cross and by the date 1939 on the War Merit Cross.

War decorations: 1939–1945
These awards were bestowed by the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS between 1939 and 1945, during World War II.

Luftwaffe badges & other awards
The Luftwaffe maintained two non-portable awards, the "Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe" (Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg) and the "Luftwaffe Honour Plate" (Ehrenschale für hervorragende Kampfleistungen der Luftwaffe). Recipients of both awards automatically received the Luftwaffe Honour Roll Clasp in January 1944.

Order of precedence
Within the Wehrmacht, wartime awards (Kriegsorden) took precedence over peacetime decorations.


 * 1) Grand Cross of the Iron Cross
 * 2) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (and higher)
 * 3) Golden Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross
 * 4) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
 * 5) Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross
 * 6) German Cross
 * 7) Honour Roll Clasp
 * 8) Führer Commendation Certificate
 * 9) Honour Goblet & Plate of the Luftwaffe
 * 10) Iron Cross 1st Class
 * 11) War Merit Cross 1st Class
 * 12) Iron Cross 2nd Class
 * 13) Combat Clasp
 * 14) Numbered war badges
 * 15) Wound Badge
 * 16) Tank Destruction Badge
 * 17) Unnumbered war badges
 * 18) Campaign shields & cuff titles
 * 19) War Merit Cross 2nd Class
 * 20) Ostvolk Decoration
 * 21) Eastern Front Medal
 * 22) War Merit Medal
 * 23) Cross of Honour (1914–1918)
 * 24) Spanish Cross
 * 25) Qualification badges
 * 26) Long-service awards
 * 27) Commemorative medals
 * 28) West Wall Medal
 * 29) Foreign decorations