The Awards of Valor and Sacrifice
As World War II became a collossal struggle unseen before in world history, the war's varying nations introduced awards to recognize the bravery and sacrifice of its soldiers. Some were a continuation of medals and badges from previous wars or periods, and some were newly created and established for the new struggle. From 1939 to 1945 (along with the postwar years) millions of decorations were betowed on the soldiers of all nations. A description of some of the main awards of the the war's belligerents are included here.
Awards of the British Army
Awards of the Red Army
Staff Sargeant Oliver R. Germann served as a B-24 tail gunner with "Baldy and His Brood". Temporarily assigned to 9th Army Air Corps, the plane participated in an attack on Foggia, Italy on August 16, 1943. The victim of at least twenty German fighter attacks, the the crew of "Baldy and His Brood" desparately fought off its attackers, including two reportedly shot down by Germann himself. With multiple crewmen wounded, including Gerrmann, the plane's pilot landed in Malta with the hopes of getting medical care from the British hospital located on the Island. Germann spent the next few months in the hospital in North Africa before returning to England to be decorated in January 1944. His extraordinary award ceremony of multple medals was captured by the Associated Press and recorded as follows:
