Close Combat Clasp

Close Combat Clasps

The Close Combat Clasp (German: Nahkampfspange) was a World War II German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for participation in hand-to-hand fighting at close quarters. Intended primarily for infantry (Nahkampfspange des Heeres), other Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, ground Luftwaffe units and Fallschirmjäger were also eligible. Pilots could receive the Front Flying Clasp, members of the Kriegsmarine the Navy Front Clasp (Marine-Frontspange) and those serving on submarines the U-Boat Front Clasp (U-Boot-Frontspange).

Heinz Guderian

History

Heinrich Himmler

Actor Richard Burton as Feldwebel Rolf Steiner in "Breakthrough" (1979 film)

Close Combat Clasp of the Luftwaffe (replica)

Foundation Ordinance

Foundation ordinance of the Close Combat Clasp of 25 November 1942:

I donate the close combat clasp as a visible sign of recognition of the soldier fighting man against man with the naked weapon and melee weapons, but also as an incentive to the highest performance of duty.

The award of the melee clasp is to be carried out according to the following provisions. I hold the responsible superiors responsible for the strictest compliance with the regulations.

According to the decree, the endowment was made as a visible sign of recognition of the soldier fighting man against man with the naked weapon and close combat means, but at the same time as an incentive to the highest performance of duty. From 1 December 1942, all close combat days were entered in the Soldbuch. Close combat days were all combat days on which the distinguished fighters had an opportunity to see the whites of the enemy's eyes, i. H. to stand hand-to-hand with the opponent with melee weapons until the final decision. For soldiers who had fought continuously on the Eastern Front, the close combat days could be counted from 22 June 1941, whereby 15 uninterrupted months were counted as 15 combat days, 12 months as 10 days and 8 months as 5 days. For wounded who suffered a disability, discretionary awarding of the award was made after 10, 20 and 40 days of hand-to-hand combat.

Eligibility

The award was bestowed in three classes:

Bronze for 15 close combat days
Silver for 25 close combat days
Gold for 50 close combat days

As the war continued, a number of amendments were made to the award criteria:

From 4 August 1944, only front-line actions could count towards the clasp, with rear actions against partisans reflected in the award of the Bandit-warfare Badge (Bandenkampf-Abzeichen).

From 30 August 1944, recipients of the Golden Clasp were normally also awarded the German Cross in Gold; with silver clasp recipients receiving the Iron Cross first class, both without the need for further justification.
- In August 1944, during one of the first handovers of the Gold Close Combat Clasp, Hitler found that the awardee was not yet in possession of the Iron Cross 1st Class and therefore awarded the EK I himself. He therefore ordered that in future it should be examined whether the soldiers should not be awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class earlier, since they had proved their readiness for action and bravery in numerous hand-to-hand combats. He recommended that this check be carried out at the latest when the Silver Close Combat Clasp is awarded.

From 8 October 1944, those awarded the Golden Clasp also received 21 days special leave.

Golden Clasp

The Gold Close Combat Clasp was sometimes regarded in higher esteem than the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by the German infantry. The High Command of the Wehrmacht (OKW) announced on 26 March 1944, that Hitler had reserved the right to bestow the Golden Clasp. The first four presentations of the Gold Close Combat Clasp were held in August and September 1944 by Hitler personally. All subsequent awards were made by Heinrich Himmler, in his position as Commander of the Reserve Army, or by Generaloberst Heinz Guderian, in his position as Chief of the Army General Staff.

"Some wear the Knight's Cross and are named in the German Army's Bulletin of Honour. All are decorated with the Iron Cross 1st Class and have been wounded nearly half a dozen times. The word is truth: whoever wears the Gold Close Combat Clasp has been pardoned to life 50 times.”

Award numbers

Of the roughly 18–20 million soldiers of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, under 50,000 received the Close Combat Clasp:

I. Grade (Bronze) — ca. 36,400 to 36,500 awards
II. Grade (Silber) — 9,500 to 10,000 awards
III. Grade (Gold) — 631 (maybe 634) awards
- there were only 98 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with the Gold Close Combat Clasp

Design and wear

The clasp was worn above the upper left uniform pocket, above any medal ribbon bar. Only one badge, the highest level received, was worn. It was die-cast and made of either tombac or later zinc. The design of all three classes was the same, with a centerpiece consisting of the Wehrmacht eagle (Reichsadler) and swastika national emblem surmounting a crossed bayonet and hand grenade with, each side, a spray of oakleaves, interspersed with a sunburst ray effect. The clasp was slightly curved and measured 9.7cm by 2.6cm.

Bundeswehr

Members of the Bundeswehr would wear the badge on the ribbon bar, represented by a small replica of the award without eagle and swastika on a field grey ribbon.

Close Combat Clasp (Luftwaffe)

Luftwaffe ground troops and paratroopers had been eligible for the Close Combat Clasp from its creation. On 3 November 1944, a Luftwaffe version (Nahkampfspange der Luftwaffe) was approved, applying the same award criteria and three classes as the existing clasp. The badge comprised a laurel wreath set behind a Luftwaffe eagle and swastika surmounting a crossed bayonet and hand grenade, all in silver. This was flanked by two sprays of oak leaves, in bronze, silver or gold to denote the appropriate class. While awards of the new clasp were authorised, and award certificates issued, there is no evidence, in contrast to the Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge (Erdkampfabzeichen der Luftwaffe) from 31 March 1942 or the Honour Plate for Outstanding Combat Achievements of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenschale für hervorragende Kampfleistungen der Luftwaffe) from 15 June 1942, that it was actually manufactured and presented before the end of the war. Other sources state first awards were given out in April 1945.