The Combat Action Medal of the Bundeswehr

• Time Period: Post-WW2
• Institution: November 2010
• Country: Germany

The Combat Action Medal of the Bundeswehr (or Einsatzmedaille Gefecht in German) is a military decoration awarded by the German Bundeswehr for active participation in combat actions or for the suffering from terrorist attacks.

It is awarded only once and, if the recipient was killed in action, posthumously. The medal was initiated by then minister of defense Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and introduced by the President of Germany, Christian Wulff in 2010.

The date of qualifying operations is from 29 April 2009 to the present. In 2011, the medal was awarded to a non-german soldier for this first time.

The Combat Action Medal of the Bundeswehr Design

The Combat Action Medal is a special class of the German Armed Forces Deployment Medal and shares many design features and the same ribbon.

The medal is gold in colour, with a black and red enameled border around the edge. The German Federal Eagle in the center is enameled in black. On the suspension ribbon of the medal, and the service ribbon worn in undress, is a gold coloured clasp with the word Gefecht(Combat).