Medals of Nazi Germany

File:GermanMedals.jpg

Several Nazi awards and decorations

"In this patriotic demonstration, Deputy Fϋhrer Melakon presented the Iron Cross, Second Class, to Daras. Hero of the Fatherland!"

- Ekosian Announcer

Medals of Nazi Germany were decorations bestowed by the nation state of Nazi Germany on Earth both before and during the Second World War. The most widely-known Prussian decoration used by Nazi Germany was the Iron Cross.

Manner of wear

Standard German form was to display decorations on the front left pocket of a uniform. Both military and paramilitary forces were awarded the same decorations, with such Nazi organizations as the SS eligible for the same awards as the regular military.

Medals and large badges were worn on the lower pocket while smaller ribbons were worn above the pocket flap. This manner of ribbon wear was similar to awards of the American military. Extremely high ranking decorations, such as the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, were worn as "neck orders" suspended from the uniform collar. (ENT: "Storm Front"; VOY: "The Killing Game")

In 2374, the Hirogen created an elaborate holodeck scenario set in World War II France in an effort to hunt and kill the crew of USS Voyager. The Hirogen were outfitted in SS uniforms of the period, which displayed various period specific Nazi medals. Among these were both grades of the Iron Cross, as well as several lesser decorations. (VOY: "The Killing Game")

Medals and badges

Decoration	Badge/Medal/Ribbon	Description
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (shown with oak-leaves and swords)	File:KnightsCross.jpg	The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a senior award of the standard Iron Cross and was worn suspended from a recipient's neck. The Knight's Cross was awarded in several grades to include the Knight's Cross with oak leaves and swords. (ENT: "Storm Front")
Iron Cross	File:IronCross.jpg	The Iron Cross was a standard decoration of Nazi Germany and also of the planet Ekos. The Iron Cross was issued in two different classes, first and second. (TOS: "Patterns of Force"; ENT: "Storm Front")
War Merit Cross (shown with swords)	File:WarMeritCross.jpg	Awarded for non-combat deeds of a heroic or meritorious nature. When the Hirogen took over the USS Voyager and trapped the crew in a World War II holodeck scenario, one of the German holodeck characters wore this badge on his uniform. (VOY: "The Killing Game")
Iron Cross Spange	File:IronCrossSpange.jpg	Worn as an attachment to the Iron Cross of World War I, the Iron Cross Spange denoted an additional award of the same grade of the Iron Cross for service during World War II. (ENT: "Storm Front, Part II")
Infantry Assault Badge		The Infantry Assault Badge, which was a close approximate to the American Combat Infantryman Badge, was worn on the front of a recipient's uniform and denoted front line service as an infantryman. When the Hirogen took over the USS Voyager, and placed the crew in a World War II holodeck scenario, several of the Hirogen wore this badge on their German uniforms. (VOY: "The Killing Game")
Anti-Aircraft Badge	File:AntiAABadge.jpg	Worn by personnel who had qualified as members of anti-aircraft companies. In an alternate time line, observed by the crew of the Enterprise NX-01, a German general in charge of the American occupation displayed this badge. (ENT: "Storm Front, Part II") The badge was also used three hundred years later in a holodeck scenario used by the Hirogen. Set in World War II France, one of the German holodeck officers wore this badge on his uniform. (VOY: "The Killing Game")
Close Combat Clasp	File:CCNaziBadge.jpg	Awarded for front line service involving close quarters combat with the enemy. There were several degrees of this badge, including a Close Combat Clasp in bronze and one in silver. Several Hirogen wore this badge while participating in a World War II holodeck scenario on board USS Voyager. (VOY: "The Killing Game")
Wound Badge	File:WoundBadge.jpg	Nazi Germany issued a Wound Badge for those injured in combat with the degree of the badge determined by how severely the bearer had been wounded. The Wound Badge in black was the basic decoration followed by a Wound Badge in silver for more severe wounds. (VOY: "The Killing Game")
German National Sports Badge	File:GermanSportsBadge.jpg	The German National Sports Badge was displayed on German military and paramilitary uniforms before and during World War II. In an alternate timeline observed by the crew of the Enterprise, Vosk wore this badge on his black SS uniform. (ENT: "Storm Front, Part II")
Golden Nazi Party Pin	File:NSDAPPin.jpg	The Golden Nazi Party Pin was worn by both German military and Nazi Party personnel to denote high standing in the National Socialist Party. Vosk, while allied to the Germans in an alternate timeline, had been awarded this pin. (ENT: "Storm Front, Part II")

Ribbons

1. Iron Cross Second Class: Ribbon could either be worn on the primary ribbon bar or suspended from the second button of a wearer's uniform.
2. War Merit Cross Second Class: Ribbon version for the larger War Merit Cross.
3. Eastern Front Ribbon: Awarded for service in Russia in 1941.
4. SS Service Ribbon: Awarded for various years of service in the SS.
5. Wehrmacht Service Ribbon: Awarded for various years of service in the German military.
6. Czech Occupation Ribbon (with Prague Castle Bar): Awarded for participation in the occupation of Czechoslovakia with an attachment awarded for those who participated in the occupation of Prague.
7. Iron Cross (World War I): Ribbon for the Iron Cross of World War I with an attachment for those awarded the same degree in World War II.
8. Honor Cross of the Great War: A commemorative ribbon of the First World War.
9. Anschluss Ribbon: Awarded to those who participated in the German occupation of Austria.
10. Red Cross Ribbon: Awarded for various services with the German Red Cross.
11. Fire Brigade Ribbon: Awarded for service on a fire brigade in response to bombing raids.
12. The Return of Memel Commemorative Ribbon: A decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period, and the last of the series of Occupation Medals.

The ribbons seen above are visible on German uniforms in "Storm Front" and "The Killing Game". In the case of Vosk and his men, it is highly likely that many of the ribbons were awarded as honorary decorations or were simply worn for show. This is since the Na'kuhl had not been on Earth long enough to participate in the events for which many of the ribbons had been awarded.

Ekosian resurgance

File:GillsMedals.jpg

John Gill's medals

Apart from their usage on Earth in the 20th century, Nazi awards saw a resurgence three hundred years later on the planet Ekos. Historian John Gill, in a bizarre social experiment, succeeded in recreating a government based on Nazi Germany including the uniforms, symbols, and awards of the era.

One of the more important decorations in Gill's neo-Nazi government was the Iron Cross which, even at the level of an Iron Cross Second Class, was awarded with grand ceremony and prestige. Gill himself wore an Iron Cross, along with a Wound Badge and Nazi Party Pin, as decorations bestowed upon himself as the Führer of Ekos. (TOS: "Patterns of Force")

Gill and Daras were the only characters in "Patterns of Force" wearing decorations, with the rest of Gill's Nazis wearing uniforms without medals, ribbons, or badges. This was most likely due to budget restrictions which prohibited the costume department from outfitting all of the uniforms with military awards.

Background information

The German general wearing the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

The highest German decoration of the Second World War was the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, awarded solely to Hermann Göring (a "Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross" was also produced but never actually awarded). Göring makes a brief appearance in "Storm Front, Part II", but the Grand Cross is not visible.

The German general in "Storm Front" wears the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, which is the highest Nazi decoration seen in any Star Trek production to date. Higher grades included the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords with Diamonds (in silver or gold).

The holodeck SS officer in "The Killing Game" wears a War Merit Cross First Class with Swords which was awarded for service of a non-combat nature in a combat or battlefield environment. The War Merit Cross was also issued without swords, and in addition had a second class level as well as a basic service medal version. The highest version of the War Merit Cross was a neck order known as the "Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross".

At least two of the badges seen in "The Killing Game" have higher degrees which do not appear on camera. These include the Close Combat Clasp and Wound Badge in Gold, as well as a special grade of the Wound Badge known as the "Wound Badge of 20 July 1944".

The nations of Austria and Czechoslovakia are both indirectly referenced based on the appearance of the Austrian Annexation Medal and the Czech Occupation Medal. Neither of the countries, however, has ever been directly mentioned in Star Trek canon.

No German Navy (Kriegsmarine) or Air Force (Luftwaffe) decorations have ever appeared in a Star Trek production. With the exception of the Nazi Party Pin and SS Service Ribbon, no Nazi political decorations have been shown either.

External link

• Orders, decorations, and medals of Nazi Germany at Wikipedia