Cased Memel Medal – Straight “G” Variant

Product Description: This Cased Memel Medal is an extremely well-preserved, pristine example. The medal is the type known to collectors as the Straight “G” Variant. It’s made of Tombak. Both sides of the medal show bright, clean surfaces, with attractive golden tones to the highlights. The medal retains its original suspension ring, as well as its correct white, red and green ribbon, with only very slight toning to the white fibers. The condition of this award rates as near mint. This beautiful medal is housed in an original “Flowers Wars” medal case, likely the original presentation case of issue. The case is constructed of heavy card stock with a red faux leather (leatherette) exterior, with a golden national eagle embossed on the outside of the lid. The exterior of the case retains virtually all of the original surface, as well as bright original color. The spring catch with stud release is functional, as is the metal hinge. Inside, the medal rests on a flocked red insert that shows off the award handsomely. The lid is lined in clean white rayon, and the cover over the hinge is made of the same material, with a split as is commonly seen. This Cased Memel Medal is a scarce and very desirable set, that would be hard to upgrade.

Historical Description: In 1938 and 1939, a triumphant, ascendant Germany used a combination of political/diplomatic pressure and military operations/threats to annex and occupy (or re-occupy) areas that were to become part of the Greater German Reich. To recognize these successes, the German government instituted a series of three medals, known as the German Occupation Medals (or “Flower War Medals). There were three of these awards, all with the same obverse design. They were designed by Professor Richard Klein of Munich, and featured two nude men, one bearing a Nazi flag, ascending a podium with the German eagle and swastika emblem. Each of the three different awards had a different date on the reverse (the date of the event each commemorated), and each had a different ribbon. The first of these medals to be instituted was the medal for the Austrian Anschluss, which appeared on May 1 1938, and bore the date “13. März 1938.” It had a silver finish, and a red ribbon with white-black-white stripes at the edges. The next “Flower War” medal to be instituted, and the one awarded in the greatest numbers, came on October 18 1938, to commemorate the occupation of the Sudetenland on October 1. It had a bronze finish and a red and black ribbon. The reverse of each of these bore the lettering “Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer” (One People, One Nation, One Leader” with German swastika emblems and the date of institution of the award. The last of these medals, the “Memel Medal,” was authorized on May 1, 1939, and commemorated the return of the Memel Territory on March 22 1939. This medal had a different reverse, a bronze finish and a ribbon with white, red, and green stripes. This medal was only awarded 31,322 times (compared to 318,689 awards of the Anschluss medal and 1,162,617 awards of the Sudetenland medal). Issue of “Flower Wars” medals ceased at the end of 1940.

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