Medal for the faithful fulfillment of duty in the civil defense of the German Democratic Republic
The medal for loyal fulfillment of duty in the civil defense of the GDR was a service award for members of the civil defense of the GDR (ZV) with at least 10 years of service and was issued on October 25, 1977 by the Council of Ministers of the GDR with the: Ordinance on the foundation of state awards for the Civil defense and the border troops of the GDR donated. It was awarded until 1990.
prehistory
The civil defense of the GDR belonged to the "armed organs of the GDR" and was an integral part of the national defense. In contrast to its western counterpart, the Technical Relief Organization , the ZV was not only limited to (emergency) operations in the event of nationwide disasters or accidents, but was also trained in the use of weapons and organized through military means. The ZV had barracked units in which professional officers, conscripts and regular soldiers did their service, as well as a large number of "voluntary helpers". Whereby the word "voluntary" was a play on words, since with the law for the defense of the GDR of September 20, 1961, anyone (man or woman) in the ZV who had reached the age of 16 could be obliged to serve.
In order to visibly emphasize the affiliation of the ZV volunteers and to honor them for their decades of service, the medal for the loyal fulfillment of duty in the civil defense of the GDR was finally introduced. From 1976 to 1990 the head of civil defense was Lieutenant General Fritz Peter .
stages
The medal for loyal fulfillment of duty in civil defense of the German Democratic Republic was awarded for loyal, conscientious and active work in three stages, which were:
- 10 years of service in bronze
- 20 years of service in silver
- 30 years of service in gold
Authority to award
The medal was awarded to all "voluntary helpers" as well as to part-time and honorary helpers in civil defense, with a separate medal created for full-time members of the ZV, the medal for loyal service in civil defense of the German Democratic Republic . The award always took place on February 11th of each year, the day of civil defense . In addition to the award, the entrusted received a certificate in DIN A5 or DIN A4 format, but this was unfolded.
Appearance and material
The medal itself was usually made of non-ferrous metal until 1988 and was either gold-plated, silver-plated or bronze, depending on the purpose of the award. From 1998 there were iron specimens that were brass-plated, nickel-plated or bronzed. Their diameter was 35 mm. In the center of the front of the medal was the symbol of civil defense in the form of a coat of arms, in which it was written in raised letters: CIVIL DEFENSE. On the edge of the medal was written in capital letters: FOR FAITHFUL DUTY FULFILLMENT. The reverse of the medal shows the state coat of arms of the GDR with the raised inscription: FOR THE PROTECTION. THE WORKERS AND FARMERS. POWER. Two laurel branches drawn in a circle were depicted at their edges.
The ribbon for all three levels was malino red and 24 mm wide. The corresponding strap was approx. 25 × 13 mm in size. In the middle of the ribbon, depending on the level, there was a 3 mm wide median strip in:
- red for 10 years of service
- silver for 20 years of service
- gold for 30 years of service
Carrying method
The medal was worn on the left side of the chest on a pentagonal ribbon clasp (based on the Russian model).
literature
- Frank Bartel, Awards of the German Democratic Republic , Berlin 1979
- Uta Feder, Awards of the National People's Army of the GDR 1994