Original Item: Only One Available. This is an attractive framed German WWII Medaille “Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42”, more commonly known as the Ostmedaille or Russian Front Medal, displayed with an original named award document to Gefreiter Alfred Lechner of Stab/Kw.Trsp.Abt. 567 and a pencil rendering of the medal’s obverse. The grouping is housed in a modern custom wood frame measuring approximately 21” x 13”.

The Ostmedaille features the characteristic German steel helmet and stick grenade above the national eagle and central swas., with a laurel branch behind the emblem. It is suspended from its distinctive red ribbon with the narrow white-black-white center stripe. The medal displays the darkened finish and age patina commonly encountered on surviving examples.

Of particular interest is the accompanying award certificate, dated 18 October 1942, naming Gefreiten Alfred Lechner of the staff of Kraftwagen-Transport-Abteilung 567, a German Army motor transport formation. The official seal at lower left bears Feldpostnummer 41729; surviving wartime field-post records associate this number with the staff of Kraftwagen-Transport-Abteilung z.b.V. 567.

Completing the display is a period-style pencil drawing depicting the obverse design of the Ostmedaille, including the helmet, grenade, eagle and swas. The drawing bears the handwritten notation “AC 40” at lower right. The meaning of this notation is unknown.

The document reads:

IM NAMEN DES FÜHRERS
UND
OBERSTEN BEFEHLSHABERS
DER WEHRMACHT

IST DEM

Gefreiten Alfred L e c h n e r,

Stab/Kw.Trsp.Abt. 567,

AM 18. Oktober 1942

DIE MEDAILLE
WINTERSCHLACHT IM OSTEN
1941/42
(OSTMEDAILLE)

VERLIEHEN WORDEN.

FÜR DIE RICHTIGKEIT:

Haberzettl

Hauptmann u. Abt.-Adj.

The circular official seal reads:

Dienststelle Feldpostnummer 41729

It roughly translates to:

IN THE NAME OF THE FÜHRER
AND
SUPREME COMMANDER
OF THE WEHRMACHT

THERE HAS BEEN AWARDED TO

Gefreiter Alfred Lechner,

Staff, Motor Transport Battalion 567,

ON 18 OCTOBER 1942

THE MEDAL
WINTER BATTLE IN THE EAST
1941/42
(EASTERN MEDAL)

FOR ACCURACY:

Haberzettl

Captain and Battalion Adjutant

The medal remains in good original display condition with substantial age-darkening, oxidation and finish loss typical of its construction, particularly across the helmet, eagle and surrounding surfaces. The raised design remains well defined. The ribbon is complete and displays very well.

The award document remains in very good condition with only minor staining and handling marks. The recipient's name, unit, award date, official seal and signature remain clear and legible. The pencil artwork likewise shows toning and surface marks while retaining a strong and attractive image.

All three pieces have been arranged behind glass with red backing and contrasting black-and-white matting in a modern custom wood frame. Please consult the photographs for the exact condition and presentation.

The Ostmedaille was created in May 1942 as a retrospective recognition of service during the exceptionally severe first winter campaign in the Soviet Union. The qualifying period ran from 15 November 1941 through 15 April 1942, so Lechner’s certificate dated 18 October 1942 records the later formal presentation of an award earned through service during the preceding winter.

That campaign placed enormous strain on German transport and supply organizations. Vast distances, inadequate road networks, extreme cold, vehicle breakdowns, fuel shortages, and the difficulty of supplying rapidly advancing formations made motor transport units an essential part of operations on the Eastern Front. Personnel assigned to formations such as Kraftwagen-Transport-Abteilung 567 helped move ammunition, fuel, food, equipment, and other supplies between rear-area depots and operational units under increasingly difficult conditions.

The hardships of the winter of 1941–42 became so closely associated with the decoration that German soldiers gave it the darkly humorous nickname “Gefrierfleischorden,” roughly “Frozen Meat Medal.”