History

This War Commemorative Medal was instituted by a veterans association, the Kyffhäuser Bund, to recognize German military personnel who served in the First World War. This includes individuals who rendered service on the front line, the home front, or in the Reserve Army.

The medal was designed by Professor Hermann Kurt Hosaeus, and his name is featured on the obverse of the medal.

The medal was unofficial and veterans were required to purchase the award themselves.

In 1922, a crossed swords device was institute. The device was worn by veterans who fought on the front line. The clasps for colonial, naval, and aviation veterans include “DOGGERBANK”, “DOGFIGHT”, “OESEL”, “SKAGERRAK”, “OVERSEAS”, “SUBMARINE WARFARE”, and “CRUISER U. MINE WARFARE”.

The medal's ribbon may also feature clasps denoting service in battles on the Western, Eastern, and Southern Fronts.

Clasps from the Western Front include “AISNE-CHAMPAGNE”, “ANTWERPEN-OSTEND”, “ARGONNEN”, “ARMENTIERES”, “ARRAS-ALBERT”, “AVRE”, “CHAMBRAI”, “DINANT”, “FERE-CHAMPENOISE”, “FLANDERN UND ARTOIS”, “JUVINECOURT”, “KEMMELBERG”, “THE BASSOE-ARRAS”, “LILLE”, “LORETTO HEIGHT”, “LORRAINE”, “MEUSE-AISNE”, “MARNE AND BESLE”, “BATTLE OF MARNE”, “MONTDIDIER-NOYON”, “MULHOUSE”, “NANCY-EPINAL”, “OISE”, “PERTHES”, “REIMS”, “SCARPE”, “SOISSONS-REIMS”, “SOLDAU-NEIDENBERG”, “SOMME BATTLEFIELD”, “ST. QUENTIN”, “VERDUN”, “VOSGES”, “MARCH 1914”, “WYTSCHAETE”, “YPRES”, and “YSER”.

Clasps from the Eastern Front include “BREST-LITOWSK”, “DUNA”, “FINNLAND”, “KURLAND”, “LITAUEN”, “LIEVLAND”, “LODZ”, “MASURISCHE SEEN”, “NAREW”, “NAROTSCHEE”, “NJEMENSCHLACHT”, “NOWO-GEORIEWSK”, “OST-GALIZIEN”, “PRJASNYTZ”, “RAWKA”, “SEHRETH”, “SMORGON”, “STOCHOD”, “SÜDPOLEN”, “TANNENBERG”, “TARNOPOL”, “UKRAINE”, “WARSCHAU”, and “WILNA”.

Clasps from the Southern Front include “ISONZO”, “MACEDONIA”, “PALÄSTINA”, “PIAVE”, “ROMANIA”, and “SERBIA”.

The obverse inscription translates to “To arms with honour intact”. The reverse inscription translates to “For loyalty during the World War”, "Kyffhäuser Union”, and “Proudly we leave the battle, in which we bravely stood against a world of enemies for four years. Hindenburg”.