Blue Division Medal (Germany)

Blue Division Medal (anti-bolshevism)
Medal and Ribbon
Awarded by  Nazi Germany
Type	Campaign medal
Eligibility	Spanish Forces
Awarded for	Volunteer Service in WW2
Campaign	Soviet Union
Description	Zinc/Bronze 32mm diameter
Clasps	None
Statistics
Established	3 January 1944

The Spanish Volunteer Medal formally known as the Commemorative Medal for Spanish Volunteers in the Struggle Against Bolshevism (German: Erinnerungsmedaille für die spanischen Freiwilligen im Kampf gegen den Bolschewismus), commissioned 3 January 1944, was awarded by the Third Reich to recognize the men of the Blue Division who served at the Russian front during World War II.^[1] This force, attached to the Heer of the Wehrmacht, known as the 250th Infantry Division (span.), was in total composed of 47,000 men, sent by Francisco Franco to aid the Third Reich, as a way to pay back Adolf Hitler's help with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War.

Description

This medal was made by Deschler & Sohn in Munich, which marked the ring with the number "1" as their own medal maker mark. The ribbon is similar to the Iron Cross Second Class but with a yellow stripe in the middle to represent the Spanish flag. The obverse has a German Army helmet above two shields which have the Wehrmacht eagle and the Falange symbol, the two shields are above a sword, at the bottom is a swastika flanked by laurel leaves. On the reverse is the inscription "División Española de Voluntarios en Rusia" and at the bottom the Iron Cross underneath laurel leaves.^[2]

References

1. Commemorative Medal for Spanish Volunteers, Wehrmacht Awards, Axis Allies, date accessed 2011-03-13.
2. Spanish Blue Division Awards, Axis and Foreign Volunteer Legion Military Awards & Postal History, date accessed 2011-03-13.

See also

• Battle of Krasny Bor
• Blue Division
• Spanish Civil War