History

Instituted as a gallantry medal during WWII, for those who participated in wartime for Norway, and the most common WWII Norwegian gallantry medal, this Medal was conferred upon Norwegian and foreign military personnel of the Norwegian Armed Forces who participated in the war in 1940, to Norwegian armed forces personnel and the Merchant Marine for services against the German invasion and occupation of Norway for at least four months, to personnel who were stationed in the Finnmark campaign during the winter of 1944-1945 for at least a month, allied personnel who rendered services for at least one month who participated in the emancipation of Norway, and resistance personnel who had rendered services for at least four months prior to May 8, 1945.

The Medal was conferred until the early 1950's, when it was becoming difficult for Officials to distinguish who was deserving of the award. Since, at the initial institution of the medal, Merchant Navy Personnel did not qualify to receive this award, the Medal was reinstituted in 1979 to accommodate the Norwegian sailors of WWII who sailed in the Merchant Marine and had not be given recognition for their efforts. Other amendments to the statutes may have occurred, that may have accommodated a larger variety of individuals.

Older versions of this medal were commonly manufactured by J. Tostrup in Oslo, however more recent versions of this medal have been manufactured by other companies.

This medal may also be known as the "Narvik Participation Medal", or the "War Participation Medal 1940-1945".

This Medal may still be conferred.