Description
Product Description: This Spanish Blue Division Medal is a nice, representative example of this relatively scarce award. It is made of zinc. Most of the original gold wash has evaporated with the passage of time, as is often the case with these, and the surface has reverted to the gray color of the base metal. All of the original detail is present, with some toning and patina to the zinc surface. The original suspension ring is present, and is marked with the PKZ number “1,” indicating manufacture by the prestigious firm of Deschler in Munich. This Spanish Blue Division Medal is complete with a length of correct original red, white, black and yellow ribbon, which is correctly folded and passed through the ring. The ribbon retains bright original color and is free of any holes, stains or damage. This is a nice piece, that remains in excellent condition.
Historical Description: Dictator Francisco Franco authorized formation of a Spanish volunteer division in 1941 to help Germany in the fight against Communism on the Eastern Front, as a way to repay the Germans for their assistance in the Spanish Civil War. The division designated “División Española de Voluntarios” by the Spanish and the “250. Infanterie-Division” by the Germans, was the only foreign volunteer unit in the Wehrmacht to be awarded its own special service medal. This was the ” Commemorative Medal for the Spanish Volunteers in the Struggle against Bolshevism” (Erinnerungsmedaille für die spanischen Freiwilligen im Kampf gegen den Bolschewismus), commonly known by collectors as the Spanish Volunteer Medal, or the “Blue Division” Medal. The “Blue Division” nickname came from the blue shirts worn by the Spanish volunteers while in Spain. The medal was instituted late in the war, on January 3, 1944. German produced wartime awards were produced by the firm of Deschler in Munich, and all were made of zinc, with a bronze wash. The front of the medal features a sword over which are superimposed two shields, one with a German Army eagle and swastika, the other with the Falange crossed arrows symbol. Above the shields is a German Army helmet; below them, a swastika and laurel leaves. The reverse of the medal has an inscription which reads “División Española de Voluntarios en Rusia” (Spanish Division of Volunteers in Russia) surmounting an Iron Cross with oak leaves. The force of Spanish volunteers on the Eastern Front in WWII totaled about 47,000 men. The Spanish 250 division participated in some of the fiercest fighting on the eastern front.
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