Medal to Commemorate the Homecoming of the Memelland
The Medal to Commemorate the Homecoming of the Memelland (German: Medaille zur Erinnerung an die Heimkehr des Memellandes) was donated by Adolf Hitler by decree on 1 May 1939 commemorating the homecoming of the Memelland to Eastern Germany on 22 March 1939.
History
The medal could be awarded to people (both military and civilian) who made special contributions to the reunification of the Memelland with the German Reich, including members of the German Wehrmacht, German State officials and local NSDAP supporters who had worked for union with Germany.
The proposals for the award of the medal were made by the Reich Minister of the Interior (Wilhelm Frick), for members of the Wehrmacht by the Chief of the High Command of the Wehrmacht (Wilhelm Keitel) and presented to Hitler for approval by the Minister of State and Head of the Presidential Chancellery (Otto Meissner). When the medal was handed out, the recipient received a certificate of ownership issued by the Minister of State and Head of the Presidential Chancellery Meissner. After the death of the owner, the medal itself remained with his surviving relatives as a souvenir.
Award numbers
The awarding of the medal was completed by 31 December 1940. A total of 31,322 medals were awarded.
Flower War medals
The Memel medal was the third and last of the "Flower War medals", titled so because the German troops were received with flowers and cheers in Austria (Anschluss), Sudetenland and Memel (Flower Wars) instead of with resistance or even weapons. All three medals have a common obverse designed by Professor Richard Klein (1890–1967), Director of the Munich School of Applied Arts. A campaign streamer (German: Fahnenband) in the colours of the appropriate medal ribbon could be attached to the flag (Truppenfahne) of those regiments that had taken part in these joyful accessions.
