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Close Combat Clasp
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, other Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, ground Luftwaffe units and paratroopers were also eligible. Eligibility The award was bestowed in three classes: *Bronze for 15 close combat actions; *Silver for 25 close combat actions; *Gold for 50 close combat actions. Close combat actions were counted from 1 December 1942, with earlier long service on the Eastern Front counting towards the award, with 15 continuous months counting as 15 combat days; 12 months as 10 days; and 8 months as 5 days. For those who had received disabling wounds, there was discretion to make the award after 10, 20 and 40 actions. 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 ...
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Nahkampfspange Heer Gold
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, other Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, ground Luftwaffe units and paratroopers were also eligible. Eligibility The award was bestowed in three classes: *Bronze for 15 close combat actions; *Silver for 25 close combat actions; *Gold for 50 close combat actions. Close combat actions were counted from 1 December 1942, with earlier long service on the Eastern Front counting towards the award, with 15 continuous months counting as 15 combat days; 12 months as 10 days; and 8 months as 5 days. For those who had received disabling wounds, there was discretion to make the award after 10, 20 and 40 actions. 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 ...
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Bundesarchiv Bild 183-J27984, Himmler überreicht Die Goldene Nahkampfspange
The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv (BArch) (german: Bundesarchiv) are the National Archives of Germany. They were established at the current location in Koblenz in 1952. They are subordinated to the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media ( Claudia Roth since 2021) under the German Chancellery, and before 1998, to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. On 6 December 2008, the Archives donated 100,000 photos to the public, by making them accessible via Wikimedia Commons. History The federal archive for institutions and authorities in Germany, the first precursor to the present-day Federal Archives, was established in Potsdam, Brandenburg in 1919, a later date than in other European countries. This national archive documented German government dating from the founding of the North German Confederation in 1867. It also included material from the older German Confederation and the Imperial Chamber Court. The oldest documents in this collection dated back to the year ...
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Awards Established In 1942
An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be described by three aspects: 1) who is given 2) what 3) by whom, all varying according to purpose. The recipient is often to a single person, such as a student or athlete, or a representative of a group of people, be it an organisation, a sports team or a whole country. The award item may be a decoration, that is an insignia suitable for wearing, such as a medal, badge, or rosette (award). It can also be a token object such as certificate, diploma, championship belt, trophy, or plaque. The award may also be or be accompanied by a title of honor, as well as an object of direct value such as prize money or a scholarship. Furthermore, an honorable mention is an award given, typically in education, that does not confer the recipient( ...
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Fallschirmjäger
The ''Fallschirmjäger'' () were the paratrooper branch of the German Luftwaffe before and during World War II. They were the first German paratroopers to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. Throughout World War II, the commander of the branch was Kurt Student. Pre-war history During the interwar years the rapid development of aircraft and aviation technology drew the attention of imaginative military planners. The idea of aerially inserting a large body of troops inside enemy territory was first proposed during World War I by Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, commander of the U.S. Army Air Corps in France.Ailsby, Christopher: ''Hitler's Sky Warriors: German Paratroopers in Action, 1939-1945'', page 12. Spellmount Limited, 2000. However, the Allied High Command was forced to abandon the idea, as it was unprepared for such an undertaking, both logistically and in materiel. Among the first to recognize the potential of airborne forces were Italy and the Soviet Unio ...
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Luftwaffe Field Divisions
The Luftwaffe Field Divisions (German: ''Luftwaffen-Feld-Divisionen'' or LwFD) were German military formations during World War II. History The divisions were originally authorized in October 1942, following suggestions that the German Army could be bolstered by transferring personnel from other services. The head of the ''Luftwaffe'', Hermann Göring, formulated an alternative plan to raise his own infantry formations under the command of ''Luftwaffe'' officers; this was at least partly due to political differences with the ''Heer''. Göring took great pride in the degree of political commitment and indoctrination of ''Luftwaffe'' personnel (he went as far as to describe paratroopers of the ''Luftwaffe'' as "political soldiers") while the Army was considered (by Nazi standards) too "conservative" (linked to conservative or monarchical traditions and ideals harking back to the Imperial days of the Kaiser). The plan was approved, and the divisions were raised from 200,000 to 250,00 ...
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Bundeswehr
The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consisting of the German Army, the German Navy, the German Air Force, the Joint Support Service, the Joint Medical Service, and the Cyber and Information Domain Service. , the ''Bundeswehr'' had a strength of 183,638 active-duty military personnel and 81,318 civilians, placing it among the 30 largest military forces in the world, and making it the second largest in the European Union behind France. In addition, the ''Bundeswehr'' has approximately 30,050 reserve personnel (2020). With German military expenditures at $56.0 billion, the ''Bundeswehr'' is the seventh highest-funded military in the world, though military expenditures remain relatively average at 1.3% of national GDP, well below the (non-binding) NATO target of 2%. Germany ...
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Swastika
The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It continues to be used as a symbol of divinity and spirituality in Indian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It generally takes the form of a cross, the arms of which are of equal length and perpendicular to the adjacent arms, each bent midway at a right angle. The word ''swastika'' comes from sa, स्वस्तिक, svastika, meaning "conducive to well-being". In Hinduism, the right-facing symbol (clockwise) () is called ', symbolizing ("sun"), prosperity and good luck, while the left-facing symbol (counter-clockwise) () is called ''sauwastika'', symbolising night or tantric aspects of Kali. In Jain symbolism, it represents Suparshvanathathe seventh of 24 Tirthankaras ( spiritual teachers and sav ...
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West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 October 1990. During the Cold War, the western portion of Germany and the associated territory of West Berlin were parts of the Western Bloc. West Germany was formed as a political entity during the Allied occupation of Germany after World War II, established from eleven states of Germany, states formed in the three Allied zones of occupation held by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. The FRG's provisional capital was the city of Bonn, and the Cold War era country is retrospectively designated as the Bonn Republic. At the onset of the Cold War, Europe was divided between the Western and Eastern Bloc, Eastern blocs. Germany was divided into the two countries. Initially, West Germany claimed an exclusive mandate for all of Ger ...
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Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-089-3779-11A, Russland, Hauptmann Mit Ritterkreuz
The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv (BArch) (german: Bundesarchiv) are the National Archives of Germany. They were established at the current location in Koblenz in 1952. They are subordinated to the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media ( Claudia Roth since 2021) under the German Chancellery, and before 1998, to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. On 6 December 2008, the Archives donated 100,000 photos to the public, by making them accessible via Wikimedia Commons. History The federal archive for institutions and authorities in Germany, the first precursor to the present-day Federal Archives, was established in Potsdam, Brandenburg in 1919, a later date than in other European countries. This national archive documented German government dating from the founding of the North German Confederation in 1867. It also included material from the older German Confederation and the Imperial Chamber Court. The oldest documents in this collection dated back to the year ...
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Model 24 Grenade
''Stielhandgranate'' is the German term for "stick hand grenade" (translation: "shaft hand grenade") and generally refers to a prominent series of World War I and World War II-era German stick grenade designs, distinguished by their long wooden handles, pull cord arming and cylindrical warheads. The first models were introduced by the Imperial German Army during World War I and the final design was introduced during World War II by the German Wehrmacht. The distinctive appearance of the stielhandgranate-family has led to them being called "potato mashers" in British Army slang, and they remain one of the most easily recognized infantry weapons of the 20th century. World War I models: 1915–1917 Germany entered World War I with a single grenade type: a heavy ball-shaped fragmentation grenade ('' Kugelhandgranate'') for use only by pioneers in attacking fortifications. It was too heavy for regular battlefield use by untrained troops and not suitable for mass p ...
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Bayonet
A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustrated History'', Iola, WI: Krause Publications, , (2004), pp. 9–10, 83–85. From the 17th century to World War I, it was a weapon for infantry attacks. Today it is considered an ancillary weapon or a weapon of last resort. History The term ''bayonette'' itself dates back to the mid-to-late 16th century, but it is not clear whether bayonets at the time were knives that could be fitted to the ends of firearms, or simply a type of knife. For example, Cotgrave's 1611 ''Dictionarie'' describes the bayonet as "a kind of small flat pocket dagger, furnished with knives; or a great knife to hang at the girdle". Likewise, Pierre Borel wrote in 1655 that a kind of long-knife called a ''bayonette'' was made in Bayonne but does not give any ...
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Zinc
Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic table. In some respects, zinc is chemically similar to magnesium: both elements exhibit only one normal oxidation state (+2), and the Zn2+ and Mg2+ ions are of similar size.The elements are from different metal groups. See periodic table. Zinc is the 24th most abundant element in Earth's crust and has five stable isotopes. The most common zinc ore is sphalerite (zinc blende), a zinc sulfide mineral. The largest workable lodes are in Australia, Asia, and the United States. Zinc is refined by froth flotation of the ore, roasting, and final extraction using electricity ( electrowinning). Zinc is an essential trace element for humans, animals, plants and for microorganisms and is necessary for prenatal and postnatal development. It ...
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