Medal for Oder, Neisse, Baltic Sea
The Medal for Oder, Neisse, Baltic Sea (Polish Medal za Odrę, Nysę, Bałtyk ) is a Polish medal, awarded around 320,000 times , which was awarded for combat operations in World War II .
The award was donated by the Presidium of the National Council ( Prezydium Krajowej Rady Narodowej ) on October 26, 1945 in memory of the soldiers and their participation in the combat zones of the new Polish borders. From 1958 the State Council ( Rada Państwa ) took over the award of this medal. On May 8, 1999, the award of the order was declared over.
Requirements for the award
The medal was awarded to soldiers who fought in the 1st or 2nd Polish Army, in the 1st Dresden Panzer Corps, as well as in the air force and on missions on the Oder and Neisse , and on the Baltic Sea from March to April 1945 , from Gdansk to Stettin were involved. The medal was also awarded to people who actively supported the Polish People's Army in their struggles in the areas mentioned. The medal was also given to former soldiers of the 2nd Republic who defended the borders of Poland during the German attack in September 1939 .
Appearance and texture
The medal is made of bronze and the diameter is 33 mm. In the obverse, the inscription on the edge of the medal reads: ZA ODRĘ - NYSĘ - BAŁTYK. In the middle the new borders of Poland are engraved and the main rivers of the country, above them the uncrowned Polish eagle. In the center of the reverse is written: RP / ZWYCIEZCOM / III-1945 / IV-1945. The second version of this order was published as early as 1946, with only minor differences. In the obverse, the big cities are also marked on the map with dots and letters: Warsaw, Gdansk, Stettin, Wroclaw. Above it is the uncrowned eagle of the People's Republic of Poland, which is smaller than in the first version. In the reverse, the medal does not differ from its predecessor.
Carrying method
The medal is worn on the left side of the chest on a dark blue medal ribbon with two light blue side lines.
literature
- Wanda Bigoszewska: Polskie ordery i odznaczenia. Wydawnictwo Interpress, Warsaw 1989, p. 129