SS Long Service Award SS Long Service Awards were given in grades of four years , eight years , twelve years , twenty - five years , and forty years . The four and eight - year service awards were in the form of circular medals while the 12 and 25 - year service awards were in the form of swastikas . The SS service awards were designed in Munich by Professor Karl Diebitsch . The awards varied in design depending on the length of service of the recipient . According to historian Chris Ailsby the awards ceased to be given at the end of 1941 . The branches of the " Wehrmacht " ( " Luftwaffe " , " Heer " and " Kriegsmarine " ) had different insignia . The Nazi Party and German Police had a similar service award . The NSDAP Long Service Award was given in grades of ten , fifteen , and twenty - five years . The Police Long Service Award was given in grades of eight , eighteen , twenty - five , and forty years ( approved but never awarded ) . History . It was first introduced by Adolf Hitler on 30 January 1938 , but some other sources give the date as 14 March 1936 . On its reverse side , each award had emblazoned the inscription , in German : " FÜR TREUE DIENSTE IN DER SS " ( " For Loyal Service in the SS " ) . The medal was awarded to SS members in the SS - " Verfügungstruppe " , SS - " Totenkopfverbände " and the " SS - Junkerschule " who served honourably and were on active service . The four - year and eight - year awards are the most common awards , and as such , are not as rare , but the twelve - year and higher awards are a lot rarer , and those that owned them were likely to have been too old to have served on the front lines . Despite the fact that the whole Nazi movement lasted for little over 25 years ( 1919 - 1945 ) and the SS were founded only in 1923 , awards of the 25 - year version were made well before 25 years of actual service were completed . This was because the period between 1925 and 1933 ( what the Nazis termed " Kampfzeit " ( " Time of Struggle " ) counted double , and any service in the Armed Forces in the First World War and afterwards , as well as the Police , was also included . Nevertheless , it was one of the rarer awards given out by Nazi Germany . The 40 - year award was never given out because no one fulfilled its criteria . Construction . The SS service medals were manufactured by two firms Deschler of Munich and Petz & Lorenz of Unterreichenbach . The medals were die struck and had a metal composition of different alloys such as bronze , tin , copper and zinc . All levels of the long service awards were held on blue ribbons ( See images ) . The 12 year and 25 year service class awards normally had the SS runes service branch embroidered into the ribbons ( See images ) . These awards were presented in a black case , which bore white or silver wash SS runes posted on the top center of the box cover . Both medals , the twelve and twenty - five - year medals , have the tear - drop suspension loop . Four year award . The four - year service award had a black finish and was awarded only to NCOs and enlisted men . The four - year service medal was manufactured by the firm Petz & Lorenz . Eight year award . The eight - year service award was finished in bronze and was awarded to all Officers , NCOs and enlisted men . The eight - year service medal was manufactured by the firms Petz & Lorenz and Deschler . Twelve year award . The twelve - year service award was in the shape of the swastika , had a silver finish and was awarded to all Officers , NCOs and enlisted men . Twenty - Five year award . The twenty - five - year service award was in the shape of the swastika , had a gold finish and was awarded to all Officers , NCOs and enlisted men . Forty year award . The forty - year service award was never distributed because no one achieved the necessary length of service before the fall of the Third Reich in 1945 .