Italo-German Africa Campaign Medal

Even if one can swallow the party line, living under a dictatorship can not be easy. As Hitler and Stalin have shown us, changes in official policies can come suddenly and with devastating effect. Former friends and followers can become names on a death list over night and allies can be changed as fast as clothes. An example of this in medallic form would be the Italo-German African Campaign Medal. The medal was issued by the Italian government to the honor the expected victory of the Afrika Korps in 1942 and was an authorized for wear by Afrika Korps troops as a foreign decoration. For some reason unknown to me the, medal was not issued to Italian troops. The obverse features two armored men fighting a crocodile while the reverse has a monument above the royal knot symbol of Italy and flanked by the Fascist and Nazi symbols. Well as we all know the campaign was a costly defeat and shortly there after Italy withdrew from the war and surrendered. Not wanting to wear an embarrassing reminder of this fiasco the Nazis banned the medal. Out of sight out of mind.