BACKGROUND: The Commemorative Medal of the return of the Memel District was the third and last of the "Anschluss", (Union/Annexation), medal series and was introduced on May 1ST 1939, for award to civilians and military personnel who participated in the "return" of the Memel district to Greater Germany. The award followed the same design as both the earlier, "13TH März" and the "1ST Oktober 1938" medals, that commemorated the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland into Greater Germany respectively. The Memel District, with its roughly 96,000 ethnic German population, was a small area in the northern region of East Prussia that was occupied by the League of Nations at the end of WWI. In 1924 the victorious allies conducted the Memel Convention which resulted in the decree that the Memel District be handed over to Lithuania. Of Note: The Commemorative Medal of the return of the Memel District was awarded roughly 31,500 times making it the most scarce of the three "Flower War" awards.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Bronze washed, die struck ,alloy construction medal. The obverse of the medal features two, embossed, figures symbolically breaking the chains of bondage with an unfurled, national flag in the background and a high relief, national eagle to the bottom. The reverse features embossed Latin script to the center, "Zur Erinnerung an die Heim-kehr des Memellandes 22. März 1939", (To commemorate the return of the Memel District 22 March 1939), encompassed by an embossed oak-leaf wreath. The medal loop and ribbon suspension ring are both intact and the come complete with its original ribbon.