TracesOfWar needs your help! Every euro, pound or dollar you contribute greatly supports the continuation of this website. Go to stiwot.nl and donate!

Nahkampfspange in Gold

The Close Combat Bar was initially made out of tomback an later also from zinc. After the badge was stamped out, it was gold plated. Most of these bars are zinc examples. These zinc examples are less of quality and nowadays have lost most of there finish. This award is long shaped with a length of a 9,7cm and a height of 2,6cm. The badge is slightly concave so it fits better to the chest of the recipient. The centre motive is made of a square with at the top a typical spread-winged Wehrmacht eagle and this eagle is clutching a swastika in its claws. Underneath this swastika are a crossed stick grenade and bayonet placed. The other three borders of the square consist of each two oak leaves. From either side of this central motive, emerges a single oak leaf with at the upper and lower corner an acorn. From underneath the tip of this single oak leaf, a spray of three other oak leaves emerges. Between the centre motive and the outer oak leaves are two striped areas, which you could see as sunburst rays. At the reverse is a long horizontally lying needle with a standard hook construction mounted. In the centre is a small black finished backing plate crimped into position. This was done to highlight the centre motive at the obverse. At the reverse is also usually the name or logo from the manufacturer stamped.

The golden grade (III Stufe) was awarded for 50 days close combat. These 50 days could be shortened to 40 days by the division commandant, when the recipient was to severely wounded to for fill the prescribed 50 days. When the recipient was awarded with the golden grade, he was normally also awarded with the German Cross in Gold (Deutches Kreuz ins Gold) , if this award was not already possessed by the recipient. This golden grade is probably 635 times awarded. Among these 635 recipients, there were only 7 Luftwaffe soldiers. The golden grade was awarded during official ceremonies by Hitler himself, or by Heinrich Himmler in name of Hitler. When Himmler was not able to present them, then Generaloberst Guderian awarded them.

Grid List
Bachler, Franz* October 21st, 1923
† August 4th, 1998

more
Backhaus, Alfred* January 29th, 1912

Baier, Willibald* November 25th, 1914

Bauder, Karl (Füsilier-Kompanie 541)* July 6th, 1914
† May 23rd, 1966

more
Bauer, Gerhard (SS-Pz-Gren.Reg.2)* January 23rd, 1924
† March 30th, 1944

Bauer, Kurt Ernst (Grenadier-Regiment 173)* August 19th, 1920
† February 20th, 1971

more
Baunach, Gregor* January 12th, 1911
† May 1st, 1945

more
Becker, Rudolf* January 7th, 1923
† October 13th, 1944

more
Beier, Hans* September 1st, 1921

Beiss, Karl* April 10th, 1914

Bendel, Fritz* December 18th, 1915

Bense, Heinrich* November 5th, 1910

more
Bergner, Otto* March 13th, 1921

Berk, Ernst* February 2nd, 1915

Bermond, Georg* October 10th, 1912

Bernartz, Johann Maria Wilhelm* January 1st, 1912
† February 11th, 1989

Bernauer, Sebastian* November 1st, 1914

more
Bernbacher, Peter* February 27th, 1916

Bialetzki, Alfons* September 29th, 1919

more
Bierhoff, Franz* October 22nd, 1919

Billau, Friedrich* November 7th, 1920
† 1997

more
Bleier, Michael* August 15th, 1918

Boosfeld, Joachim (Waffen SS)* June 1st, 1922
† June 19th, 2015

more
Boscheinen, Horst* December 5th, 1919

Brandstetter, Joseph* December 9th, 1919

Braun, Gustav* September 16th, 1918
† May 6th, 1979

more
Brey, Sebastian* November 4th, 1913

Brück, Heinz* July 7th, 1918
† 1985

Buchbach, Alfred* October 24th, 1920

Bucher, Maximilian (Waffen SS)* January 17th, 1917
† February 25th, 1945
Plot: 1 Row: 3 Grave: 27

more
Buchner, Hermann (Waffen-SS)* January 16th, 1917
† November 17th, 1944
Grave: UNK

more
Buck, Friedrich (Waffen SS)* January 30th, 1922
† September 25th, 2015

more
Buck, Paul* August 12th, 1913

Busch, Karl* July 15th, 1918

Buschbeck, Willy Kurt* August 26th, 1912

more
Bussler, Erich* January 8th, 1917
† February 17th, 1992

Butkus, Zanis (Waffen SS)* July 29th, 1906
† May 15th, 1999

more
Buttler, Paul* April 29th, 1915

Büch, Helmut* October 14th, 1919

Bäuchl, Johann (Geb. Baichl)* August 28th, 1918
† May 3rd, 1994

more
Böckendorf, Peter* May 9th, 1913
† November 4th, 1982

Böddeker, Karl* March 4th, 1919

Sources