Ritterkreuzträger with Nahkampfspange (Close Combat Clasp)

The Nahkampfspange, known in English as the Close Combat Clasp, was a highly esteemed German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 by Adolf Hitler to recognize soldiers of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS who had taken part in fierce hand-to-hand fighting at close quarters, with primary eligibility for infantry but also extending to other Heer units, Waffen-SS formations, Luftwaffe ground forces, and Fallschirmjäger paratroopers. It was awarded in three grades - the bronze I. Stufe after fifteen days of close combat, the silver II. Stufe after thirty days, and the gold III. Stufe after fifty days - with close combat days counted from 1 December 1942 onward and retroactive credit granted for earlier Eastern Front service such as eight months equaling five days, twelve months ten days, and eighteen months fifteen days, plus discretionary reductions to ten, twenty, and forty days respectively for soldiers who had been severely wounded in such fighting and could no longer complete the full requirement. Designed by Wilhelm Ernst Peekhaus of Berlin, the clasp was a long, slightly curved die-cast piece measuring about 9.7 cm in length and 2.6 cm in height, featuring a central national emblem of an eagle with swastika surmounting crossed bayonet and hand grenade, flanked by sprays of oak leaves with sunburst rays, manufactured initially in tombac and later in zinc with appropriate bronze, silver, or gold plating, and worn on the upper left breast above the ribbon bar with only the highest grade displayed. Approximately 36,400 bronze, 9,500 silver, and 631 gold clasps were issued overall, the rare gold version frequently presented personally by Hitler or high-ranking officials in a special black presentation case and often regarded by German infantry as more prestigious than the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes; from 4 August 1944 only verified front-line combat counted toward the award, while partisan fighting was redirected to the Bandenkampfabzeichen. A denazified version without the eagle and swastika was re-authorized in 1957 for post-war veteran wear.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HEER

Major Joseph Rhein (1917-2005), born on 8 May 1917 in Duisburg in the Rhine Province and who died on 15 February 2005 in Linz, Rhineland-Palatinate, was a German Heer officer who served throughout the Second World War on the Eastern Front, where he rose through the ranks to Hauptmann and eventually Major while commanding troops in Grenadier-Regiment 530 of the 299. Infanterie-Division. As Kommandeur I. / Grenadier-Regiment 530 he demonstrated outstanding leadership and personal bravery during intense defensive and counterattack operations against superior Soviet forces in early 1944, actions that directly resulted in his award of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 23 February 1944. Earlier recognition for his service in the same unit included the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold awarded on 21 April 1943 as Hauptmann in Grenadier-Regiment 530 and the Ehrenblattspange des Heeres und Waffen-SS conferred on 17 February 1944, alongside the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse, Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse, Nahkampfspange in Bronze, Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Silber, and Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Silber. Following the war Rhein continued a military career in the Bundeswehr, attaining the rank of Major and serving actively from 3 December 1956 until his retirement on 30 September 1975.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_Combat_Clasp