West Wall Medal

The West Wall Medal was instituted on 2 August 1939 and was awarded to those who designed and built the fortifications on Germany’s western borders, known as the Westwall, the Siegfried Line between 15 June 1938 to 31 March 1939. On 13 November 1939 eligibility was extended to include servicemen of the Wehrmacht who served on the Westwall for at least ten weeks. In all 622,064 medals were awarded until 31 January 1941 when awards of the medal ceased. In 1944 after the allied invasion the medal was re-instituted and awarded to those who renovated and strengthened the fortifications on the western borders. This version of the medal was commonly known as the “Defence Wall Honor Award” to distinguish the decoration from its 1939 counterpart. It was awarded to over 800,000 men in total by the end of the war.