Awards and decorations of the German Armed Forces

The Awards and decorations of the German Armed Forces are decorations awarded by the German Bundeswehr, the German government, and other organizations to the German military and allied forces. Modern era German military awards have been presented since the end of World War II and the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949.

The history of German Armed Forces awards may be divided into three distinct eras, mainly Post-World War II decorations, Cold War era decorations, and modern day awards and medals.

At the end of the Second World War, Nazi Germany had amassed an extensive area of award and decorations both for military service, political service in the Nazi Party, and various other service medals and badges associated with the Nazi Germany expansion and activities.

Denazification edicts promptly declared the wear and display of former Nazi decorations as strictly prohibited. As Germany split apart into East and West Germany, each of these new countries issued directives concerning the status of former awards and decorations of Nazi Germany. Within East Germany, these awards were all but abolished with a new era of German Communist decorations created to take their place. However, in West Germany, by 1948 laws had been passed permitting the display of certain combat and military service medals from World War II, but also prohibiting continued display of Nazi political awards, awards directly associated with the SA or SS, as well as occupation service medals directly associated with the expansion of Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

Formal regulations issued in the mid-1950s had thereafter permitted the continued display of certain Wehrmacht decorations in ribbon form; the extensive use of neck orders and badges that had been prevalent under Nazi Germany was phased out in favor of the more common ribbon bar system used in western militaries.

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