Germany - Third Reich: West Wall Medal, 2nd type known as the German Defence Medal, bronzed zinc production for 1944, with original length of ribbon as issued, together with original paper packet of issue bearing makers details for Carl Poellath of Schrobenhausen. A superb example of type.
Condition: Good Very Fine.
The West Wall Medal / German Defence Medal was instituted on 2 August 1939 and was given to those who designed and built the fortifications on Germany's western borders, known as the West Wall or, in English, the Siegfried Line, and to the troops who served there prior to May 1940. In 1944, as Germany was expecting the arrival of the allied invasion, it was again awarded to those who took part in the fortification of the western borders. In all 622,064 medals were awarded by the end of the war.
The medal was struck in bronzed brass. In 1944, a second production run was conducted to reward the workers and military personnel strengthening the Siegfried Line. This version of the medal was commonly known as the "German Defence Medal", to distinguish the decoration from its 1939 counterpart, and was constructed of a bronzed zinc. A bar with the date "1944" was authorised for those who already held the 1939 version, but this award was never mass-produced.
