German WWII Russian Front (Frozen Meat) Medal-This is a very good example of the iconic Russian Front award that still retains a long portion of original ribbon. This Wehrmacht award is made of zinc, and Is missing a portion of its original finish, but the zinc has toned to a very dark color that matches the rest of the award giving it a great look. You can still see some finish in the lower details of this badge. There is some wear to the edges, but it is still a very good example of this “frozen meat” medal.
History: The Russian Front Medal was instituted by Adolf Hitler on May 26th, 1942 to commemorate the first winter campaign in Russia. The award was available to all Wehrmacht personnel, civilians and foreign volunteers who met the required criteria with the main qualification being at least fourteen days of participation in combat on the Russian front between November 15th, 1941 and April 15th, 1942 within preset geographical boundaries or a minimum of two weeks of combat, have 30 days over enemy territory as flying personnel, being wounded or getting a frozen limb for which the wound badge was awarded, or a minimum of 60 days continuous time the combat zone.
The award was commonly referred to as the "Frozen Meat Medal". Regulations of September 4th, 1944 discontinued the Russian Front Medal with the last award being bestowed on October 15th, 1944. Generally, the Russian Front Medal was only worn on the day of bestowal or on a medal bar for dress or ceremonial occasions resulting in the ribbon being worn on a day-to-day basis on the field blouse.