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 The Blue Division ( es, División Azul, german: Blaue Division) was a unit of volunteers from Francoist Spain within the German Army (''Wehrmacht'') on the Eastern Front during World War II. It was officially designated the Spanish Volunteer ...

who served at the Russian front during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. This force, attached to the Heer of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

, 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 during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

. Members of the Blue Division also received the Medalla de la Campaña de Rusia from the Spanish government.

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 show the Wehrmacht eagle and the

Falange The Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional Sindicalista (FET y de las JONS; ), frequently shortened to just "FET", was the sole legal party of the Francoist regime in Spain. It was created by General Francisco ...

symbol, the two shields in front of a sword, with a swastika flanked by laurel leaves below. On the reverse is the inscription "División Española de Voluntarios en Rusia" and at the bottom the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

underneath laurel leaves.Spanish Blue Division Awards
Axis and Foreign Volunteer Legion Military Awards & Postal History, date accessed 2011-03-13.

References

{{List of military decorations of the Third Reich , state=collapsed Military awards and decorations of Nazi Germany Awards established in 1944 1944 establishments in Germany Spain in World War II German campaign medals Germany–Spain military relations Eastern Front (World War II) Military awards and decorations of World War II Awards and decorations for military volunteers

Description

See also

References