Dienstauszeichnung IV. Klasse - Einzelspange

[Mint]

Here is my latest addition Heer 4-year Long Service Award on a single parade mount. Really happy with the how clean the eagle cypher and both sides of the medal are, among the sharpest I have seen.

Since this medal has a few different names in German - what was the most common name for it?

[MAP]

A very nice example with parade mount!

(can't help with the naming convention however)

[rbminis]

Here is my latest addition Heer 4-year Long Service Award on a single parade mount. Really happy with the how clean the eagle cypher and both sides of the medal are, among the sharpest I have seen.

Since this medal has a few different names in German - what was the most common name for it?

A nice example!
As far as I know, it is called the Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht 4.Klasse, 4 Jahre.
Here is a good thread, posted by the previous Mod of this section, on the names of most of the German TR awards.
The Use of German Terminology.
Ralph.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Nice example.

[HPL2008]

Since this medal has a few different names in German - what was the most common name for it?

It doesn't really have different names.

The original Führer decree of 16 March 1936 by which it was instituted and the implementing provisions of the same date refer to it simply as the Dienstauszeichnung [Service Award]:



The four grades were designated as 4. Klasse (4th Class) through 1. Klasse (1st Class), sometimes also spelled in Roman numerals and officially abbreviated "D.A. IV" through "D.A. I". Thus:

- Dienstauszeichnung 4. Klasse (D.A. IV)
- Dienstauszeichnung 3. Klasse (D.A. III)
- Dienstauszeichnung 2. Klasse (D.A. II)
- Dienstauszeichnung 1. Klasse (D.A. I)

This is also the designation that was used on the award documents (in this case, my grandfather's):



When the other long service awards were instituted in 1938 and 1939, they were designated as the Polizei-Dienstauszeichnung [Police Service Award], Dienstauszeichnung für den Reichsarbeitsdienst [Service Award for the National Labor Service], SS-Dienstauszeichnung [SS Service Award] and Dienstauszeichung der NSDAP [Service Award of the NSDAP].

To avoid confusion, it was common to then refer to the original armed forces award as the Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht [Service Award of the Armed Forces] (this is also how Doehle referred to it in his period publications).

[Mint]

It doesn't really have different names.

To avoid confusion, it was common to then refer to the original armed forces award as the Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht [Service Award of the Armed Forces] (this is also how Doehle referred to it in his period publications).

Great explanation, now it makes sense why I have seen it named with "der Wehrmacht" and without.