BRD Oderflut-Medaille des Landes Brandenburg (1997)

In a very good condition a Bundes Republik Deutschland Oder Flood Medal of the State of Brandenburg (1997)

Frontside: Oderflut 1997, In Dankbarkeit und Anerkennung. Land Brandenburg. Crest of Brandenburg in the middle.

Backside: Land map of all the cities in Poland and East-Germany who were affected by the floods of the Oder.

Ribbon: White red which are the colors of the Brandenburger flag

Background Info:
In the summer of 1997, the largest known flood on the Oder in history occurred. Large areas in Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany were flooded, and 114 people died. The German armed forces took part in the flood relief effort with a total of 30,000 soldiers, engineer tanks, helicopters, trucks, boats and Tornado aircraft. This made it the largest disaster relief operation in the history of the German armed forces.

The Basic Law sets very strict limits on the deployment of the German armed forces within the country in order to ensure the separation between military and police tasks. Deployment is only possible in the context of an emergency - or as so-called official assistance. Since the formation of the German armed forces, it has regularly provided official assistance in the event of storm surges and forest fires or as a harvest worker. However, the extent and reason for a deployment of the German armed forces within the country is always a cause for discussion, for example when the Elbe burst its banks in February 1962 and flooded parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Hamburg and Bremen and the German armed forces rescued people as part of the official assistance. This administrative assistance contribution from the Bundeswehr was instrumentalized in establishing new emergency laws in 1968.

However, the deployment of the Bundeswehr in East Germany in 1997 received nationwide recognition. In August 1997, the then Prime Minister of Brandenburg, Manfred Stolpe, donated a medal to honor the deployed forces. It is therefore not a military award, but was awarded to all forces involved. The people had to be nominated for an award beforehand. The medal on the red and white ribbon shows the Brandenburg eagle, which is framed by the words "In gratitude and recognition - Oder flood 1997". On the back are the outlines of the regions in Poland and Germany affected by the flood with the course of the Oder.

Code: 54453