The U-boat Front Clasp () or U-boat Combat Clasp, was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

'' military decoration awarded to holders of the

U-boat War Badge The U-boat War Badge () was a German war badge that was awarded to U-boat crew members during World War I and World War II. History The ''U-boat War Badge'' was originally instituted during the First World War on February 1, 1918. It was awarded ...

to recognize continued combat service and valor.

History

The award was instituted on 15 May 1944 to bring the U-boat force in line with other branches of the German armed forces, all of which had a similar award to recognize valor. There were no specified merits for earning the award; decoration was based on the recommendations of the

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

commander and subject to approval by

Karl Dönitz Karl Dönitz (; 16 September 1891 – 24 December 1980) was a German grand admiral and convicted war criminal who, following Adolf Hitler's Death of Adolf Hitler, suicide, succeeded him as head of state of Nazi Germany during the Second World ...

. Awards were often due to the number of patrols completed or demonstrations of valor in combat. The clasp was worn on the upper left breast.

Design

Wilhelm Ernst Peekhaus of

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

submitted the design of the badge, which consisted of a central

laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a symbol of triumph, a wreath (attire), wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. It was also later made from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cher ...

with a stylized submarine and wings of oak leaves. The wings on either side consisted of six staggered oak leaves (for a total of twelve). Two crossed swords decorated the bottom of the central wreath; the submarine in the middle mimicked the design of the U-Boat War Badge. The wreath integrated an eagle with turned down wings holding a

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

. After the war ended, sailors in Germany could only wear the medal if it did not include

National Socialist Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequen ...

emblems – in keeping with the German ''

Ordensgesetz The ''Gesetz über Titel, Orden und Ehrenzeichen'' ("Law of Titles, Orders and Honours"), often shortened to ''Ordensgesetz'' ("Orders Law"), is a federal law of Germany detailing the treatment and handling procedures for civilian and military deco ...

''. An alternative design with a complete laurel wreath (without eagle and swastika) with a centered submarine emblem exist for this purpose.

Classes

The award was bestowed in two classes. The classes of the badge were manufactured in bronze, or silver. * Bronze – the lower grade and awarded based on the number of war patrols, the degree of risks involved in the mission and for personal bravery * Silver – on 24 November 1944, the silver class was introduced to further recognize bronze holders with continued merits, increased risk and acts of valor

Notes

References

* * {{List of military decorations of the Third Reich , state=collapsed Awards established in 1944 Military awards and decorations of Nazi Germany 1944 establishments in Germany Kriegsmarine