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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
NameDate of birthDate of deathAwards
Kachel, Georg (SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 4)16-07-1920 more
Kaiser, Andreas (Grenadier-Regiment 199 "List")25-11-1920 
Kaiser, Vinzenz 'Zenz' (Waffen SS)28-02-190420-04-1945more
Kamin, Anton05-01-192410-04-2005
Kamischke, Reinhold18-08-191920-04-1945
Kammerer, Karl29-01-1912 more
Karowski, Hans19-05-1920 
Karrenbauer, Johann (Div.Füs.Bat.263)08-04-1919 
Kassing, Fritz16-08-1912 
Katheder, Wolfgang (Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26)28-09-1922 
Kaussen, Ewald13-07-1911 
Kayser, Walter (Gren.Rgt. 390)08-01-191809-01-2002more
Kedzia, Ernst-Georg15-11-191416-06-1994more
Keller, Gebhard (Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98)16-04-1919 
Kempas, Traugott27-08-191913-03-1945more
Kessel, Paul27-02-1915 
Ketterer, Hans18-07-1921 
Kettering, Rudolf03-10-1914 
Keyser, Gustav (Gren.Rgt. 76)26-02-1924 
Kilian, Adam05-12-1922 
Kilimann, Friedrich19-08-1920 
Kindler, Werner15-07-1922 
Kivelitz, Karl26-08-1914 
Klaes, Mathias20-03-1918 more
Klein, Kurt26-03-191316-09-1944more
Kleinheider, Johannes (Pz.Gren.Reg.60)15-12-1913 
Klier, Andreas06-10-191726-08-1944
Kloppenburg, Martin (Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26)16-11-1918 
Klumfass, Heinz25-06-1923 
Klute, Wilhelm16-08-1912 
Knebel, Ernst (Grenadier-Regiment 4)26-11-191326-06-1973
Knittel, Gustav (Waffen SS)27-11-191430-06-1976more
Knobloch, Albert Rudi23-09-191923-05-2012
Kohnz, Bruno Jakob06-10-191407-05-1945more
Konopacki, Günther Kurt Paul (Radfahr-Jäg.Btl.10)10-10-192123-06-1987more
Konopka, Gerhard (Gren.Reg. "Großdeutschland")27-03-191129-01-1997more
Konrad, Wilhelm Johann August 'Willy'13-02-191326-01-1945more
Kornberg, Wilhelm05-06-191709-02-1993
Kossak, Kurt16-03-1916 
Kranz, Bernhard26-12-191326-02-2005more
Kratschmer, Franz09-06-1918 
Kratzki, Konrad28-12-1921 
Krauss, Karl (Feldersatz-Bataillon 85)18-01-1914 more
Krempl, Josef05-10-1918 
Kretzschmar, Erhard01-04-1923 
Krevet, Johann  
Krey, Walter10-06-1919 
Kroeg, Helmut28-01-191422-04-1990more
Krug, Siegfried29-10-1917 
Krumnow, Herbert20-09-1919 
Krüger, Otto (Panzer-Ersatz-Brigade 106 "FHH")  
Kujawa, Paul17-05-1921 
Kuntze, Edmund15-02-1918 
Kunz, Siegfried06-09-1915 
Kutschkau, Ernst23-11-191004-02-1947more
Küffen, Heinrich "Heinz"05-01-191227-10-1978
Küther, Ernst12-07-1910 
Kämpfe, Helmut (SS-Pz-Gren.Reg. 4 'Der Führer')31-07-190910-06-1944more
König, Karl19-12-1921 
König, Lambert Richard04-09-191929-01-1944
König, Ludwig18-07-192402-04-1985
Köpp, Willy30-08-1921 
Körner, Nikolaus17-07-1913 

Sources