Description
Product Description: This is a very nice example of a Spanish Volunteers in Russia Medal. The medal is made of a brass alloy, Tombak. It’s a great strike, with crisp, sharp detail. The black enamel in the Iron Cross device on the obverse is intact and virtually perfect. The surface of the metal shows very light wear, exposing the base metal in small areas on both sides. The original factory applied silver finish remains bright and beautiful. The medal retains an original ribbon, with the Spanish red and yellow national colors on one side, and the German red, white and black on the other. The ribbon shows normal age, with some age toning and fading of the original color. The correct Spanish style bar and pin attachment at the top of the ribbon is brass, with a light patina, and is intact and functional. This Spanish Volunteers in Russia Medal is an attractive and desirable award that remains in excellent plus 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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