The Third Reich produced a large number of medals whose purpose was to reward individuals who excelled in the performance of their duties. The basic medal consisted of a cloth ribbon that normally attaches to a ring, which attaches to the medal itself.

The medal is normally round in shape. Made of metal and will have a design in the front and back.

There are two different components that are refered to with the name of ribbon. One of the items is the section of cloth that attaches to the metal. The other item is a rectangular structure which shares the same colors as the above. The point for this type of ribbon is that the soldier can wear it instead of wearing the medal itself. The ribbon is smaller so it is easier to wear. specially of the person is highly decorated.

The following are examples of some of the ribbons employed on the medals of the Third Reich.

This is the ribbon for the Sudetenland commemorative medal.	This is the ribbon for the War Merit Cross award.	This is the ribbon for the African German/Italian campaign.

	This photo shows an example of how a pin is attached to the upper section of the ribbon. Holes in the support member allow thread to pass through to secure it to the cloth.
	This is a different example of how the medal was attached to the ribbon. Instead of using a suspension ring a square bracket is constructed onto the medal itself.

THE PARADE MOUNTING FOR GERMAN MEDALS There were occassions when the soldier wanted to have the medal mounted in a more sophisticated fashion. The best type of medal mounting available was known as "parade mounting". As its name indicates, the mounting was used for special occassions like dinner parties, weddings, parades, etc. A triangular or rectangular metal base was used. The ribbon was lavishly applied to the base. In some cases it is fairly flat while in others it balloons out. A hook is placed in the front to allow the medal to be secured to the ribbon. The location of the hook may vary. The back is where the ribbon is stitched in place. It also has a very sturdy pin which hinges at one end and catches at the other. The materials of the pins may vary between brass, steel and alumiunm.

The back of the ribbon came in a variety of colors and textures. However, it remained very similar across the board. some examples of the backing types are illustrated here:

	This example has a gray wool backing. It is for a single ribbon. The pin and catch are made of aluminum. Heavy duty construction.
	The example shown here has a tighter weave black wool backing. Heavy duty steel pin with an aluminum catch on the other end.
	The ribbon featured here has a white wool backing with a lighter weight brass pin. The catch is also made of brass and is well embedded into the fabric.

Crossed swords indicate that the award was combat related. Normally issued with the War Merit cross.	The silver eagle usually indicates number of years of service.	This device indicates a place. Issued with the commemorative Anschluss medal.

One more variation of the ribbon was the button ribbon. Just like the name suggests it, this is a ribbon that is attached to a button. It is smaller than the normal ribbon and can be attached anywhere that a button hole is present. Usually worn on the lapel or top front pocket.

The following are examples of the button ribbons. some of them have metal devices while others do not. The interesting thing is that the device will be in the shape of the original award.