Original German WWII Close Combat Clasp in Bronze by FEC. W. E. Peekhaus – Josef Feix & Söhne 2nd Pattern Nahkampfspange Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Original Item: Only One Available. Known in German as a Nahkampfspange (Melee Clasp) in Bronze, this fine award is constructed of bronzed slightly vaulted zinc. The front side has a Reichsadler (national eagle) over a crossed bayonet and hand grenade in the centerpiece. There are sun rays emanating from the center of the left and right sides, with four oak leaves and two acorns on each side. The reverse is plain, with a square non-magnetic backing plate with horizontal pin back, with a barrel hinge and a flat wire catch on the reverse. The back is marked with maker FEC. W. E. / PEEKHAUS / BERLIN on the left and designer JFS on the right for Josef Feix & Söhne.

Especially known for its Numbered General & Panzer Assault Badges, JFS was also a prolific maker of the Close Combat Clasp. Located in Gablonz, the hot-bed of badge production during the Third Reich, JFS clasps are relatively common and share a similar obverse design to those by A.G.M.u.K., most likely the result of a common artisan working for both entities. The back-plate crimping used by JFS was also similar to A.G.M.u.K. CCCs and proved to be very effective at keeping the plate intact and with the clasp. Unlike the A.G.M.u.K. series of clasps, however, JFS chose to have a separately applied hinge on its variations of the Close Combat Clasp. Utilizing a combination of high quality zinc and thick finish, clasps by this maker stand the test of time remarkably well, and it is not uncommon to find them retaining most, if not all, of the original appearance and luster they had on the day they left the factory.

A wonderful example ready for display!

Close Combat Clasp
The Close Combat Clasp (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 partisans reflected in the award of the Bandit-warfare Badge.
–From 30 August 1944, recipients of the gold clasp were normally also awarded the German Cross in gold; with silver clasp recipients receiving the Iron Cross first class, both without the need for further justification.
–From 8 October 1944, those awarded the gold clasp also received 21 days special leave.

The Gold Close Combat Clasp was often regarded in higher esteem than the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross by the German infantry, and AH reserved the right to bestow this class personally. Of the roughly 18–20 million soldiers of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, 36,400 received the Bronze Class, 9,500 the Silver Class and 631 the Gold Class.