Awards of
World War IIThe award was established by the German government to honor soldiers of the Spanish Division No. 250, which fought on the Eastern Front on the side of the Reich. The division consisted of volunteers who took part in the Spanish Civil War. The Blue Division got its name from its sky-blue tunics.
Materials: zinc, bronze.
Dimensions: 33 mm.
The Spanish Blue Division Medal is circular, with a sword placed horizontally on the obverse. Two shields hang from it: one with an eagle perched on a wreath with a swastika in the center, symbolizing Germany, and the other with a bunch of five arrows and a yoke, symbolizing Spain. Above the shields is a helmet, and below are laurel branches with a swastika in the center. On the reverse of the medal is an inscription that translates as "Spanish Volunteer Division in Russia." Below the inscription is an image of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, with a ribbon with two branches extending from each side: the right is oak, the left laurel. The medal is attached to a red ribbon, divided by a yellow stripe down the center and white and black at the edges.
The "Courage and Memory of the Spanish Blue Division" Medal was instituted on January 3, 1944.
The medal comes in two versions. The first version was minted directly in Germany and was made of zinc with a small admixture of bronze. The second version was issued directly in Spain, where production was transferred due to the fact that most of the volunteers had by then been recalled from the front. The second version was made of bronze and differed slightly from the first in detail, except for the helmet, swastika, and eagle. Both versions of the award are authentic. A third version also exists, made on Spanish stamps in a small batch in the 1950s. This award was awarded to soldiers of the Blue Division liberated from Soviet captivity.
Spanish dictator Francisco Franco did not want to enter World War II on the side of the Reich, but at the same time wanted to strengthen his regime in the country and ensure its security. Therefore, he adopted a neutral stance in the struggle between the Axis and the Allies. After the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, a volunteer division was formed in Spain to fight communism. This division, consisting of 18,104 men, was transferred to the Wehrmacht and named the 250th Infantry Division.
During the fighting, more than 40,000 men served in the division. According to official figures, 4,954 were killed, 326 were missing, 8,766 were wounded, and 372 were captured.
On October 20, 1943, the Blue Division was withdrawn from the Eastern Front and disbanded due to intense Allied pressure on Franco's government.