My spanish Blue Division collection

[Mike TM]

Hello, I open this thread to display some of my pieces of the spanish Blue Division.
I will start with the spanish made KVK. After the war some geman badges and medals was made in Spain for several makers. The most common were the EK, KVK, the winter medal in Russia or the Infanterie badge. These badges were used on the uniforms by spanish soldiers after the war (parades, etc...) and easy to see in period photos until the 70'.
The spanish KVK keep the same design of the german one but has a poor detail, in comparison.
After the war two models of KVK was made in Spain, one inmediately ended the war, in copper with a chocolate finish and other model in the 60' in golden finish. This second model was made by Eugenio Díaz.
The model of these photos is the golden one of Eugenio Díaz.

[Mike TM]

The spanish KVK is made in three pieces, the cross itself and two disks, one with swastika and other with the year 1939. This golden model has two versions. The first one has a smooth surface (until 60`) and the second one has a granulated finish (70`). See photos of two models.

[Mike TM]

the ribbon of the two versions are differents, the left is the second one wih crossed threads and the right the first version with parallel threads.

[Mike TM]

More than 2000 spanish soldiers won the EKII fighting in blue division in Russia. The design is the same than the german EKII but it's made in one piece (some in two pieces) and is not magnetic.
They was used by veterans. They were made after the war and there was several makers in Spain.

[Mike TM]

Most of the spanish volunteers in blue division was members od falange. This is a ex-combatant card of a falangist that was awarded with the winter medal.

[Mike TM]

The card opened.

[Mike TM]

The Campaign Medal of the Spanish Volunteer Division in Rusia was created by spanish government in 1943. It has a nice design with a EK in center. The medal for non officers was made in one piece for the maker "Díez y Compañía, SA" (Madrid). They were made in silvered brass.
This one comes with the box.

[Mike TM]

The medal for officers had the same design but it was made in three pieces. When only 600 pieces had been made, the mold of the eagle broke and the production was interrupted. So, only 600 pieces were made. For this reason this medal is quite rare. After this the officers received the medal made in one piece.
In this photos you can see the two versions.

[Mike TM]

The medal for officers was made in silvered brass. There is a version of this medal in three pieces made in silver, often offered like original, but it's a fake.

In this photo you can see the back design on both versions.

[Mike TM]

the ribbon of the medal is the version of the 60`s, the correct ribbon is the one in left. As you can see the white band on the right of german flag is more width than the left white band (left of spanish flag), on original band of 40`s, both with bands of extem of ribbon are identical.

[Spanish Freiwillige]

Very nice seleciton of BD items

[Adam S.]

Thanks for the tutorial as well! Very interesting history on these...

[Woolgar]

Fascinating

Nick

[Mike TM]

This is a spanish volunteer marching uniform (uniforme de partida). When the volunteers went to germany they used the uniforms based on model 26 (the same that was used in spanish civil war). this example is a engineer uniform of national army. It has the typical blue shirt of falange and the red beret. The tunic has the falange shield on right pocket (usually it was on left pocket) The volunteers didn't carried fireamrs going to germany. The buckle has the emblem of engineers corp.

[Mike TM]

This is a lot of medals and papers of a blue division volunteer. first a certificate of volunteer in blue division and his falange personal card.