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March 13, 1938
Austrian Anchluss Medal
Silver plated alloy, 32 mm,
rayon ribbon with suspension pin, nice color and luster, light
wear.
SOLD
Instituted on May 1, 1938, the medal commemorated the return of Austria, Hitler’s
homeland, into the German Reich. German troops crossed the border on March 12, 1938 with no resistance following a series of "incidents"
provoked by National Socialists in Austria and
various ultimatums by Germany. This first action, while perhaps
raising suspicions, did not cause general alarm in the world community. After
all, it seemed to be done by choice of the Austrian people who were German
speaking.
This award, called the first "Anschluss medal," was awarded to all
Austrian NSDAP members and any Austrian who helped or participated in the annexation. It was also awarded to German State officials and
members of the German Army and SS who marched into Austria.
The Medal was based on the 1938 Party Day Badge. The
obverse featured a naked athelete holding a swastika flag (Germany)
helping another with broken shackles (Austrians) onto a
podium sporting the Wehrmacht Eagle which represented the Greater German
Reich. The slogan "Ein Volk, Ein
Reich, Ein Fuhrer" (One people, One State, One Leader) was
a favorite nazi propaganda slogan used repeatedly in
Hitler’s speeches to promote the unification of all Germans back into the nation. Presentations were stopped on Dec 13, 1940 with 318,689 medals awarded.