EHRENBLATTSPANGE DES HEERES UND WAFFEN-SS
The Ehrenblattspange des Heeres und Waffen-SS, known in English as the Honour Roll Clasp of the Army and Waffen-SS, was a prestigious German military decoration instituted during the Second World War to recognize exceptional bravery on the battlefield. Introduced by Adolf Hitler on 30 January 1944, the golden clasp featuring a swastika encircled by an oak leaf wreath was designed to be worn on the ribbon of the Iron Cross 2nd Class as a visible mark of honor for soldiers whose names had already been published in the Ehrenblatt des Deutschen Heeres, the Army's Honour Roll. This Honour Roll had been established in July 1941 shortly after the invasion of the Soviet Union to publicly acknowledge acts of extraordinary personal courage by members of the German Army and Waffen-SS that went beyond the criteria for the Knight's Cross but demonstrated outstanding valor in combat. Approximately 4,556 clasps were awarded in total, with around 4,107 going to Heer personnel and 167 to the Waffen-SS, serving as both a high distinction for frontline troops and, in some cases, a pathway to promotion for non-commissioned officers and enlisted men. The last official publications of awards occurred in February 1945, though some unlisted conferrals took place in the final chaotic months of the war.
Franz Pöschl received the Ehrenblattspange des Heeres (Honor Roll Clasp of the German Army) on February 15, 1945, while serving as a Major and commander of Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 143 of the 6th Mountain Division on the Arctic front in northern Finland during the Lapland War. On October 13, 1944, Pöschl distinguished himself by leading a determined defense of the strategically vital port of Liinakamari against a heavy Soviet assault, successfully repelling the attack and preventing the enemy from seizing this key position during the German withdrawal from Finland to Norway. This act of bravery earned him a place on the German Army's Honor Roll, resulting in the prestigious clasp award as recognition of his leadership and valor under extreme combat conditions in one of the war's final northern campaigns.
Source :
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehrenblattspange
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