The winter of 1941-1942 was “hot”. In mid-November, the 41st Army of the Center decided on large-scale offensive operations. The purpose of the capture was Moscow. However, the plans of the Wehrmacht army also failed on a large scale. The reason for this was the courage of our heroes and the fierce cold that "wielded" in the winter of 1941-1942.
In January 1942, the USSR decided to counterattack. The Barvenkovo-Lozovsky operation begins. Its main goal was to counter the armies of the South group. For the USSR, the operation turned out to be a relative success. Firstly, it was possible to break through the front line, a width of more than a hundred kilometers. And secondly, they managed to advance inward, about the same. In this case, the powerful forces of the enemy were destroyed.
It was planned several more powerful attacks from both one and the other. However, by April of that year, both armies had suffered heavy casualties both among manpower and equipment. Both sides postponed the offensive indefinitely.
And the losses were really significant. Killed, wounded and mutilated in those battles were millions of soldiers. In memory of this "hot" winter of 1941-1942 in Germany, the medal "Frozen Meat" appears.
History of creation
The fighters who participated in the battles held in the winter of 1941-1942 were presented for the award. One hundred and fifty years before World War II, it was one of the most severe winters. And it was a real gift of fate. The fact is that the enemy was not ready for such weather conditions. The result of this was a large number of deaths of the frozen Wehrmacht fighters. Many survived, but received injuries of varying severity.
For this reason, the medal was unofficially named Gefrierfleischorden, which in German sounds like “frozen meat”. This name with malicious sarcasm was invented by the Germans themselves and was used more often than the official name.
An honorary medal was awarded to the military in a special package on which her name was written. Also, the soldier was awarded a document confirming his military merits. It was possible to wear such an award exclusively in full dress and weekend uniform.
Currently, the cost of a complete set: package, ice cream meat medal and a document is seventy-five conventional units (about 5,000 rubles).
The award was developed by war correspondent, twenty-two-year-old artist Ernst Krause. On it, he tried to depict everything that the living had gone through and that the fallen had seen before death.
Appearance
To determine the authenticity of the Ice Cream Meat medal, you need to know its characteristics.
The award is made in the shape of a circle of zinc. Above is a hand grenade and a helmet. A ring with a red ribbon is attached to the helmet itself. The edges of the medal and helmet are silver. In the center is an imperial eagle whose wings are turned down. The eagle, in turn, is located on top of the swastika, and the laurel branch is depicted in the background.
The ribbon attached to the ring is made in red with three stripes on it: two white on the sides and black between them. The color scheme was chosen for a reason, it is symbolic. Red is blood that has been shed in countless streams on enemy territory, white is the ubiquitous Russian snow, and black was a symbol of grief and longing for the murdered comrades.
Below is a photo of the Ice Cream Meat medal.
Receiving criteria
To become the owner of the German medal Ice Cream Meat, a soldier had to fulfill the following conditions:
- Be a participant in the battle for a minimum of two weeks.
- For two months to take an active part in military operations.
- Luftwaffe employees were required to carry out operations in the air for a month.
- Being wounded or frostbite is equivalent to the "For Wound" medal.
All these points were to be executed within five months, starting on November 15, 1941. If the fighter was awarded, but died, it was passed on to his relatives.
The last award for the Ice Cream Meat medal dates back to September 4, 1944. A total of three million Wehrmacht employees received Gefrierfleischorden. It is worth noting that not only German soldiers were awarded, but also volunteers from allied countries.
Post-war years
It is known that in Germany in 1957 a law was passed, according to which servicemen were allowed to wear awards. But it was forbidden to wear medals on which a swastika was depicted. That is why, after some time, the Gefrierfleischorden award was slightly modified: the swastika was removed, and the remaining elements remained untouched.
“New” medals were sold in special stores, where anyone who deserved it could buy them and wear them unhindered.