My ribbon bar collection of german medals for floods and rescue

[TabsTabs1964]

If there is an event in the history of the city of Hamburg after the Second World War that has marked the memory of this great Hanseatic city, it is undoubtedly the “Surmflut” of February 1962 that marked the city forever.



We can translate freely the word into English as sea flood.
The great flood of Hamburg took place on the night of February 16 to 17, 1962 when at one time a very strong storm of rain that caused the Elbe to overflow, was combined with a huge high tide of the North Sea.
That night, the overflowing waters of the Elbe were found in the channel with an even greater force: that of the living tide that penetrated uncontrollably through the channel. This enormous mass of water, slowed down in its exit to the sea, flooded the city as never remembered and as it has never happened again, 56 years later.

[TabsTabs1964]

But not only Hamburg was seriously damaged by this natural disaster that affected also the coastal regions of Germany. In total, the houses of about 60,000 people were destroyed or damaged and the death toll amounted to 315 in Hamburg.
The water tide that the dams could not support and the Elbe and Weser rivers caused widespread flooding of huge areas.
The City of Hamburg and the "Landers" of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, instituted decorations to award the participants in the rescue of the victims of the terrible flood of this night of February 1962.

[TabsTabs1964]

These are the medals.



From left to right.
1. Dankmedaille Sturmflut 1962. (Hamburg)
With the following motto:
“DAS DANKBARE HAMBURG SEINEN FREUNDEN IN DER NOT * XVII. FEBRUAR 1962” (The grateful Hamburg to his friends in the NOT * XVII. February 1962
2. Gedenkmedaille aus Anlass der Sturmflutkatastrophe 1962. (Niedersachsen) With the following motto: “STURMFLUT 16. FEBRUAR 1962”
3. Medaille Sturmflut 1962. (Schleswig-Holstein)
With the following motto: “STURMFLUT 16./17.FEBRUAR 1962”

[TabsTabs1964]

And these are my ribbon bars of the medals.

[TabsTabs1964]

Well-known image of the future Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, at the time in charge of the police of the City State of Hamburg and directly responsible for the great rescue operation of that fateful night of February 1962, in the act of granting these medals to soldiers of the Bundeswehr.

[TabsTabs1964]

Nieder Sachsen - Lower Saxony.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

A very informative piece of Germany history, of which I knew nothing about. Thanks for putting it together.

Cheers,
Steve

[TabsTabs1964]

Schleswig-Holstein.

[TabsTabs1964]

The three together.





I apologize, I just realized that the ribbon bar of Schleswig-Holstein I have placed it upside down in this photo....

I hope to finish uploading the images tomorrow. Best regards.

[TabsTabs1964]

Another image, perhaps clearer than the previous ones.