Awards and decorations of the German Armed Forces

Modern era German military awards have been presented since the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949.

However, from 1957 West German regulations permitted the wear of many wartime awards in Bundeswehr uniform,[1] provided the swastika symbol was removed.

[4] During the 1960s, West Germany became a key NATO member, serving as a major base for forward deployed United States and allied forces along the border with the Eastern Bloc.

During this time, the West German government began to introduce new military awards and decorations, most of them for non-combat meritorious service.

These regulations typically stipulated that awards associated with the Communist regime were prohibited from display, but did recognize the status and continued wear of certain non-political service medals.