A relatively unknown but nonetheless highly effective fighting unit during WWII was the 250th Infantry Division or "Spanish Blue Division" as it was commonly known. This unit was true volunteer unit unlike many of the other foreign volunteer divisions who consisted of volunteers but also employed conscription as a means to swell their numbers. 

The origins of Germany's Spanish volunteers can be traced to the Spanish Civil War in 1936 when Hitler supplied aid to Generalisimo Francisco Franco in the form of Luftwaffe, naval and ground units collectively known as "The Condor Legion". This all arms formation along with Italian infantry and air units provided considerable help and were highly instrumental in Franco's victory over the Republicans. In 1939 when war was declared on Germany Hitler constantly pressured and threatened Franco to join in the war on the side of Germany. This was unacceptable to Franco who proved most unwilling to enter into a war with the Allied forces of Britain and France and despite the pressure exerted on him, refused to allow German forces to travel through mainland Spain to invade the British stronghold of Gibraltar. 

Franco although holding no great fascist convictions was not totally unsympathetic to the Nazi cause and was also conscious of the debt owed to Germany for their assistance to his forces during the Spanish Civil War. It was Spain's foreign minister Ramón Serrano Suñer who along with the approval of General Franco, drew up plans to form a division of Spanish volunteers made up from army and Falange members to assist Germany. Only hours after German troops stormed Soviet borders in the east on June 22, 1941, Spain officially offered her services to the Reich.

The response was extremely good with many Spaniards who were Nationalist ex-Civil War combatants who were conscious of the Soviet Union's contribution to the Republican cause and who harboured genuine anti-Communist sentiments relished the chance to fight the Bolshevik's on their own turf. Recruiting stations were set up in the headquarters of the Falange Party for volunteers to offer their services In the Infantry  Academy in Zaragoza officer cadets volunteered in masse to further boost the already high number of volunteers. This number was so high in fact that by 2nd July when the recruiting stations were closed the number of volunteers far exceeded 19,000 and in fact a number of divisions could have been formed. This was confirmed by the German ambassador in Spain who claimed that 40 times the required amount of men had volunteered for the new Spanish/German division. 
An order issued in late June, just before the recruiting centres were closed, stated that 50% of the officer and NCO volunteers must be professional soldiers and all the officer positions above the rank of lieutenant were filled by Spaniards. 

Four infantry regiments were formed and the battalions which made up these new divisions were formed in the areas of Madrid, Zaragoza, Seville, Spanish Morrocco, Valladolid, Coruña, Burgos, Valencia, and Barcelona. The divisions were all under the command of Spanish colonels: Rodrigo, Esparza, Pimentel and Vierna and as was practiced in the Spanish army - the above units would be known by the name of their commanders: "Regimento Pimentel", "Regimento Vierna", and "Regimento Esparza." An artillery regiment under the command of Colonel Badillo as well as engineer, anti-tank, signals and medical units consisting entirely of Spanish personnel were also formed. All were volunteers. Overall command was given to 45 year old General Agustín Muñoz Grandes. Grandes was born in Carabanchel Bajo, Madrid, on 27th January, 1896. He graduated in the Military Academy of Toledo and received his first command in Africa, where his relationship with General Francisco Franco started.   During the Spanish Civil War Muñoz Grandes directed the IV Brigade of Navarre, with the rank of colonel. In March, 1936 he took part in the offensive at Aragon as commander of the Army of Urgel.
In 1939, Muñoz Grandes was nominated as General Secretary of the Falange Party but despite this appointment to this overtly fascist organistion he, like Franco was not of any particular political persuasion. 

The Spanish volunteers were issued with German uniforms and equipment, although some continued to wear their blue shirts and berets during the initial training stages. The issue of uniforms was complicated because Spanish was not technically at war so Spanish Army uniforms were out of the question. A new symbolic uniform was created which consisted of the red beret of the Carlist movement, the blue shirt of the Falangist movement (from which the division received its name) and the khaki trousers of the Spanish Foreign Legion, while Officers wore khaki shirts with blue cuffs and collar. This uniform was worn on leave in Spain, but before going to the front the Legionnaires would change into regular field gray Heer uniform with a shield on the upper right sleeve which bore the Spanish National colors with the word “España”.  The name "Blue Division" (Blau Division in German, Division Azul in Spanish) was given to the unit on account of the blue shirts worn by the Falange Party members. Incidentally this was the name given to O'Duffy's Irish fascist volunteers who fought with Franco during the Spanish Civil War. 
When the entire division had been formed,On July 13th the first train with volunteers left Madrid, they were transported to Germany via France by the trainload and were warmly received on entering Germany where they were then sent to the training camp in Grafenwöhr, Bavaria. On 25th July this new formation was officially given the title of 250th Infantry Division and the number of infantry regiments was reduced from four to three as was the norm in the German army. These units were designated 262nd Infantry Regiment (mainly Barcelona recruits) under the command of Colonel Pimentel, 263rd Infantry Regiment (Valencia) under the command of Colonel Vierna and 269th Infantry Regiment (Sevilla) under the command of Colonel Esparza. The 250th Artillery Regiment was split into three units containing three batteries, each equipped with 10.5cm guns and a heavy artillery unit equipped with 15cm guns. The anti-tank unit was equipped with 36 outdated PAK 3.7cm anti-tank guns
Colonel Rodrigo was appointed second in command to General Augustin Muñoz Grandes and in all the unit now consisted of 641 officers, 2,272 NCOs and 15,780 men. In all 17,924 Officers and soldiers in four infantry regiments.  As an adaptation to the terrain they operated in, a very competent Ski-company was raised among the Spaniards to be used for recon and quick strike cabability in the deep snow.. Also, because among the volunteers there were enough pilots, a squadron was formed entirely of Spanish airmen and equipped with Me 109s and later FW 190s. The “Blue Squadrilla” received credit for 156 Soviet aircraft. 

Their German instructors were constantly irritated by the Spaniards, who's standards of discipline and appearance failed to match their own high German standards.  The training at Grafenwohr under the sometimes harsh drill instructions of German Army Feldwebels went somewhat less than smoothly. The German non-coms, not famous for their tolerance of anything less than strict discipline, were constantly irritated by the seemingly "un-smart" appearance of their Spanish recruits, and what seemed their lack of respect for German parade ground instruction. The fact was that these "recruits" were for the most part both professional Spanish Army soldiers, and veterans of the Civil War. The barking of foreign speaking drill instructors had for the most part, little impact upon their idea of parade ground discipline. Also, they were not yet all uniformly dressed in German kit, with many still wearing a mixture of Spanish Army and Falangist garb. Nevetheless, on the 31st of August 1941 they were paraded to take their official oath to the Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, with the wording changed to specify their obedience to the Fuhrer only " In the battle against Communism."  The troops were now all uniformly clad in the field grey of the Wehrmacht, indistinguishable from other German infantrymen only by a woven shield worn on the upper right arms of their tunics in their national colors of red/yellow/red surmounted by the title "ESPAÑA." It is worth noting that behind the lines, and while at home, the volunteers of the "Azul" were allowed to wear a mixed uniform symbolically consisting of the Red beret of the Carlist movement , a blue shirt in honor of the Falange, and khaki trousers in honor of the Spanish Foreign Legion, of which Muñoz Grandes was a former commander, and from which a number of "Azul" volunteers originated.
 
As they were regular soldiers in the Spanish army intensive training for them lasted only one month and after swearing oath of allegiance to Hitler, were on their way to the Eastern Front by 20th August. 
What followed was a strange episode which must have tested the Spaniards resolve and commitment to the German cause. They were transported only as far as Suwalki in Poland where they were forced to march on foot over 1,000 km through Poland and Lithuania to Vitebsk in Russia via Vilna, Molodeschno, Minsk and  Orscha. This forced march left some of their number hospitalised and coupled with the loss of many horses delayed their entry into combat in Russia by 40 days. The original intention of sending the division to Smolensk was changed and instead the Division were sent northwards by train to Leningrad in Northern Russia along with Feldmarschall von Leeb's forces who were besieging the city. 

Their orders were as part of XXXVIIIth Corps to relieve the German 18th Division and elements of the 126th division near Shimsk and to hold a line of 50km from Lubkovko in the north to Kurisko in the south. Their first action took place on the night of 12th October 1941 at Kapella Nova where an advanced Spanish grenadiers position intercepted a Soviet battalion  which was attempting to cross a river.
The resulting combat left 50 Soviet dead and 80 prisoners in the hands of the Spanish 269th Regiment. 
Their next action took place on the eastern side of the River Volkhov which saw two regiments of the Blue Division along with two other German divisions (18th and 126th) take part in an offensive over the eastern side of the River Volkhov. Stiff Soviet resistance was met during the 20th October by Soviet machine gunners at Russa and Sitno and actions coordinated by Battalion Commander Major Roman succeeded in driving out the Soviets from the village of Sitno. 

 On October 19, 1941, elements of the 250th  established a bridgehead and occupied Smeiko, Sitno, Tigoda, Dubrowka, Nitikino and Otenski as part of an offensive to link up with Finnish troops east of Lagoda Lake in order to complete the encirclement and the siege of Leningrad. The II/269.Inf.Rgt. was again closely engaged in heavy combat and close-quarter fighting against elements of the Soviet 52nd Corps,which they successfully threw back after tenacious defense of the bridgehead. Continuous shelling by the Soviets kept reinforcements at a minimum,but forces of the III/263rd Inf.Rgt. and the 250.Reserve Battalion made it to the east bank of the Volkhov to bolster the defense . Further actions by the 263rd Regiment resulted in the occupation of Tigoda on 28th October and as well as this the Erstaz Battalion of 250th had taken Dubrovka. The 263rd Regiment took Nitlikino on the 29th but the Ersatz Battalion who had turned south from Dubrovka to attack Muravji had met fierce Soviet opposition from machine gunners who had been positioned in stone buildings which had been christened the "barracks" by the Spaniards. Despite artillery support by Blue Division artillery units they failed to dislodged the Soviets and were forced to retreat amid heavy losses.

In November the Blue Division crossed the frozen River Volkhov despite Soviet infantry, artillery and air counter-attacks and managed to hold onto their new positions. The 269th Regiment were instructed to occupy the villages of Otenski, Possad and Posselok which had been taken by elements of the 18th Division. Possad and Posselok were subjected to heavy attack by the Soviets and after heavy losses the surviors were ordered back to Possad where a similar scenario had taken place and the Spanish defenders had suffered similar Soviet attacks. By the next day the village was surrounded and subjected to constant artillery and mortar bombardment. Spanish casualties mounted and a field hospital that had been set up in the cellar of a house overflowed with dead and wounded. By 14th November only 180 Spaniards were left defending the village and after the wounded battalion commander was replaced, combat engineers constructed two fortified positions which allowed the wounded to be evacuated by sledge. On 27th November defences were strengthened by the construction of blockhouses between Otenski and Schevelevo by Spanish combat engineers. On 4th December an attack by four Soviet infantry regiments supported by heavy artillery, mortars and aircraft was repulsed by Commander Roman's engineers, anti-tank gunners and artillery batteries. The Spanish positions had now been consolidated apart from Pass which was still under Soviet attack and this forced the Spanish units in Schevelevo to return to the ruins there to relieve the beleaguered defenders. With the temperature at - 40 degrees and under air and artillery attack the situation there was desperate. Food was scarce and what frozen scraps of bread was left had to be divided with an axe, the defenders had been deprived of sleep for days and yet the moral of the troops was still high. In response to Soviet calls for surrender the Spaniards called out "Arriba España!" which was a Spanish Civil War battle cry used by the Nationalists. 
Eventually Muñoz Grandes was allowed by the German high command to order a retreat from Possad and Otenski and on 7th December the exhausted defenders retreated. They had lost 120 dead, 440 wounded and 20 missing but despite these losses they were to see further action almost immediately. 

By 10th December all Spanish units had crossed over the River Volkhov back to their starting out point of two months earlier and two weeks later on 24th December Udarnik and Gorka were under attack from Soviet forces. The order was to hold these areas at all costs which the Spaniards did despite furious counter attacks by the Soviets. It was here that Soviet atrocities against the Spanish troops took place and after advancing from Lubovko, Commandante Rebull discovered the mutilated bodies of Alferez Moscoso and his men which had been stripped and impaled on bayonets and had pickaxes driven into their chests. 
  Almost all of the Spanish line had now been recovered from Soviet hands apart from a small ruined church near Lubovko which had been taken by a battalion of Soviet troops. Shortly thereafter, a fierce, revenge-focused counterattack by two companies of the I/269 Inf.Rgt. of the "Azul" left the icy surface of the frozen Volkhov strewn with the dead bodies of an entire Soviet battalion. Supported by a German artillery unit they soon put the defenders to flight and the fleeing Soviets were mercilessly cut down by the Spaniards as revenge for the earlier Soviet atrocities on Spanish troops. 

In 1942 the Blue Division was as part of Army group North subject to a counter attack which was aimed at the right flank of Army Group North and at Lake Ilmen the 290th Division was decimated under the Soviet steamroller. The survivors of which there were 543 were holed up in the village of Vsad which was besieged by a Soviet Ski Battalion. All communication with the defenders had been lost and it was ordered that 5th anti-tank Company commander Captain Ordas take command of the Ski Company of the 250th Division situated on the north west shore of Lake Ilmen. The 206 strong detachment mounted on 70 horse drawn sleighs set off in temperatures that dropped to as low as -56 degrees. Many men succumbed to frostbite - 102 in all by the time they reached Ustrika. Here they contacted Munoz who ordered them forward to Vsad where the Germans were still clinging to survival. Further traveling over the next few days reduced the company strength to 76 men. They finally met Soviet resistance at Shiloy Tschernez whom the Spaniards promptly forced to evacuate. However the Soviets replied with an armoured and ski troop assault which forced the Spanish and Latvian troops (from the 81st Division whom they had linked up on their advance) until a stand was made at Bolshoye Utschno. The combined force managed to hold back the Soviets allowing the wounded to be evacuated. Eventually the mission objective to establish communication with the garrison at Vsvad was achieved but not after heavy losses which reduced their numbers to 34 men. After a further objective was ordered for the Spaniards to join up with the 81st Division and capture three villages left them with only 12 men. All were awarded Spanish military decorations as well as the German Iron Cross.
  Again in February 12th the 269th and 263rd  Regiments relieved beleaguered German troops surrounded in the villages of Samoschje after a 42-hour road march.

Further fighting for the 250th Division took place on the east bank of the River Volkhov at the end of March which had seen Soviet forces encircle the German forces situated there. The 250th as part of 18th Army was successful in relieving the encircled garrison at Maloye Samoshie on 12th February. Eventually the Soviets were forced to retreat and a link was made with the 58th Infantry division and 4th SS Polizei Division north of the pocket. 

By June the south of the pocket was scene to bitter fighting in which the Soviets had taking a severe beating from the German forces there and by the end of June had been subject to German air attack as well as armoured attack from Tiger tanks from sPzAbt 502. By 25th June most Soviet resistance had ceased and the Spaniards impressive tally was as follows: 5,097 Soviet POWs taken, 46 artillery pieces for their own losses of 274 men. General Lindermann, Commander of 18th Army singled them out for special praise as they had consistently proved their fighting prowess and dogged determination during the previous months. 

In late August 1942 the build up to the Blue Division's distinguishing action took place at Krasny Bor. The division had taken up new positions on the Leningrad front from Puskin to Krasny Bor in the east. They established a good relationship with the locals which the Germans had not really managed to do well in that area. The siege of Leningrad was to be brought to a swift end but all changed when the defeat at Stalingrad  took place in early 1943. The reinforcements that had been arriving to take the city were rushed southwards and the plans for Leningrad were put on ice. Previous to this in November command of the 250th Division had been passed to General Emilio Esteban who had also served as a corps commander during the Spanish Civil War. 
In January the Soviets attempted to break the siege of Leningrad with renewed vigour and it was ordered lines that a detachment from each division of 18th Army be sent to reinforce the German units under Soviet attack. The Blue division sent the 269th Regiment under the command of Captain Patino. By 22nd January the 2nd Company of the 269th had reached the area of Poselok and almost immediately came under intense Soviet bombardment from the air and ground. They were eventually forced back from their positions but not before they had repulsed two Soviet infantry attacks. 7th and 6th Companies also suffered the similar style attacks and were forced from their positions suffering heavy casualties - from a contingent of 800 men 600 were now casualties. A counter attack was ordered to recapture the lost positions which they achieved despite heavy Soviet opposition and held the line until they were relieved by a German unit. 

More losses were sustained by the Spanish when a shell struck their positions and six Spanish officers who were assembled in a hut were injured. This left only one officer - Lieutenant Soriano in 2nd Company 269th Regiment who by nightfall was defending his positions with just 29 men. Due to heavy German attacks on the Soviets the Spaniards were given a respite and were eventually relieved on 28th. They returned to their headquarters in Slutz with only 1 officer, 7 NCOs and 200 men and were duly awarded the Iron Cross.
In February 1943 the Soviets had defeated the 6th Army at Stalingrad and in the Northern sector the Germans were preparing for a Soviet effort to capture the main road and rail link from Leningrad to Moscow. Positionally the Spanish sector near the River Ishora would be the main centre of attention for a Soviet attack and in anticipation of this the German 212th Division would be held in readiness to support the town of Krasny Bor if the need arose. The Spanish faced four Soviet divisions - 43rd, 72nd, 45th and 63rd. Also in support of these units were two armoured regiments, 187 artillery batteries, two mortar battalions, two anti-tank battalions, one motorised brigade and two ski companies. Facing this the Spanish forces had two infantry battalions, one ski company and small artillery, anti-tank and engineer units, a combined total of 5,600 men.
On the opening day of the attack, despite a ferocious artillery assault the Spaniards managed to advance and set up their command post at Raikelevo where General Estaban Infantes directed the battle. This three hour artillery assault was followed by an infantry and armour attack which broke through the Spanish line and advanced towards Krasny Bor.  3rd Company, who were defending the October Railway station had been decimated and were left with only 40 men and they fought to the last. Their commander Captain Ruiz de Huidrobo who had been offered the chance of leave a few days earlier was killed in the fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Laureate Cross of St Ferdinand.  All around the Spanish were being cut down under massed Soviet assaults but by mid morning a small number of men had managed to break out of the encirclement and retreat towards Krasny Bor. Despite this isolated units had managed to hold out on the Moscow to Leningrad road and at Podolovo repeatedly fighting off Soviet attacks. 

In Krasny Bor itself the Artillery, engineer and other assorted stragglers came under attack from Soviet Infantry and armour. Retreating ambulances as well as the hospital there were deliberately shelled by Soviet tanks but these tanks were eventually beaten off by the Spaniards armed with Molotov Cocktails and handgrenades. In the afternoon belated support came in the form of a Luftwaffe fighter-bomber attack which bombed Soviet positions around Kolpino. 
All around the situation looked grim for the Spaniards. In and around Krasny Bor the small Spanish pockets of resistance were gradually being overrun and it was not until 4.30pm that day that the German 212th Division supported by the new 112th Division which was made up of Latvian and Flemish volunteers, came to support the beleaguered Blue Division.
The Spanish were ordered to deploy along the Ishora River and to prevent an ecirclement of their positions taking place and all Soviet attempts to achieve just this were repulsed. At Kasny Bor the last remnants of the 262nd artillery men and engineers retreated , leaving only the 1st Artillery group who were to retreat later that night.
More Soviet attacks took place early the next morning along the River Ishora near the paper factory and men of 3rd Company, 262nd Regiment and other personnel from various Spanish units drove all attacks back for the next two days. Soviet assaults then abated somewhat and the last major attack came on 19th March which was again beaten back by the Spanish.
At the end of the battle the Spanish losses were extremely heavy - 75%. In total 3,645 men had been wounded or killed and 300 taken prisoner. During the battle of Krasny Bor the Soviets lost 11,000 and the 250 ^th 2,252. These were to be the last major actions of the Blue Division on the eastern front.

The Ishora River sector was eventually relieved tow months later by the German 254th Division but during the preceding time repatriations of veterans from the Blue Division were taking place. Spain had been under increasing pressure from the Allies to withdraw it's support for Hitler and Franco was seeing that the tide was turning for the Germans on the Eastern Front, so the Allies began to place considerable pressure on Franco to recall his fighting force. Negotiations with the German government began in the Spring of 1943, and the order to withdraw was given on October 10th, 1943. A “Blue Legion” compromising 3,000 men was left behind, commanded by Colonel Navarro, and it was attached to 121st infantry Division. This appeased the Germans and those volunteers who did not want to leave, but even this token force was ordered to withdraw in March, 1944. 
This prompted the order to decommission the Blue division and return it's troops back to their homeland. Their General, Estaban-Infantes was awarded the Ritterkruez on 14th October and also received the news that the division was to be withdrawn. Men who had served in the division longest were to be repatriated first and trains left at a rate of two per week for Bavaria loaded with Blue Division veterans. By 29th October the first Blue division veterans set foot on Spanish soil...some for the first time in two years. 

The final casualty figures for the division were 3,334 dead, 8,466 wounded and 326 missing. 321 were taken prisoner by the Soviets and 94 died in captivity. The remaining 230 Spaniards who had been taken prisoner were repatriated from the Soviet Union in 1954. 
Because of casualties, and a system of rotation, as many as 45,000 Spaniards fought on the Eastern front. Of these, 4,500 were killed in action and a 16,000 further were taken prisoner or wounded in action. Those who were wounded were treated on hospitals throughout Germany, which were operated mainly by Spanish Medical Staff. 

At the same time as the troops were leaving for Spain a call for volunteers to stay behind and form a new "Spanish Legion" were issued and when one considers the hardships these men had suffered a considerable number (about 50 from each company) volunteered for more service with the German Army. The Blue Legion as it was known did gain the approval of Franco but he stated that it was not to exceed 1,500 men which  meant again (as was the case with the initial recruitment for the Blue Division) that there was a surplus of volunteers. In fact by the end of December 1943 there were in fact 3000 volunteers fighting for the Germans. 

The new Legion was sent to Yambergin Latvia under the command of Colonel Antonio Garcia Navarro and two infantry "Banderas" which was a Spanish term for a unit smaller than a battalion. There was also another Bandera consisting of artillery, panzerjäger, signals, recce and combat engineer troops which contained three companies. 
Their first action was against partisans in the local area in the Narwa area and after that was attached to the German 121st Division in Begolovo and Kostovo. Over Christmas they saw action against the Soviets in which they drove back two strong attacks in appalling weather conditions. In January the Legion was ordered to withdraw and saw further action against partisans and by the end of the month the division had retreated as far back as Luga. From here they were transported by train to Estonia in perpetration for defence of the Narwa coastline against Soviet attack but an order was given to disband the legion and return the Spaniards back to their homeland. On 21st March the legion were boarded onto trains and by 17th April they were back on Spanish soil again. This ended Spanish involvement with the Wehrmacht but a considerable number would volunteer for the Waffen SS which was organising a new Spanish unit entitled Spanische-Freiwillegen Kompnie der SS.

When one considers the Spanish Blue Division and it's fighting qualities it is quite remarkable that a country that was a so-called neutral provided a considerable number of troops for the Nazi cause. The reason for the high number of recruits and willing volunteers are many but range from the genuine anti-Bolsheviks, Nationalist Army veterans and adventures. There have been stories told of ex-Republican fighters who wished to join the legion only to surrender themselves at the first opportunity to the Soviets and fight for them but this must have
been rare if it ever happened at all. 
An assessment of the Spanish Volunteers would cast them in a favorable light, their fierce fighting abilities would place them among the most successful foreign legions who fought for the Third Reich. They proved themselves in battle continuously in one of the most brutal theaters of war in history, the Eastern Front. 

The final tally for the Spanish Blue Division on the eastern front is as follows:

3,934 Killed in Action

Today in Spain the Blue Division is still remembered at the The National Army Museum in Madrid, close to the Prado Museum which has a a room dedicated exclusively to the 250th Blue Division. There are plans apparently to move into the Alcazar at Toledo, where the former Infantry Academy was situated. 

The Award

The award presented to the legions was the “Erinnerungsmedaille fur die Spanischen Freiwillismus’ im Kampf gegen den Bolschewismus”, or “Commemorative Medal for Spanish Volunteers in the Struggle against Bolshevism.. Known as the “Blue Division Medal”, it was instituted on January 3rd 1944 to recognize the 250th Infantry Division. 
The “Blue Division Medal” was die struck in zinc alloy with a bronze wash. It was produced by the Deschler und Sohn firm, and measured 32mm in diameter and 1mm in width. 

It featured on the bottom obverse a swastika with a spray of laurel leaves emanating from each side, with the leaves arranged differently on both ends. A Military sword crossed the center, with two shields superimposed on it. These shields were flat toped with a pointed bottom, on the left one was the Wehrmacht eagle while the other featured the Falangists crushed arrows. Directly above the shields was an M-43 German helmet facing left, with the faint outline of the Wehrmacht Eagle on it. 

The reverse bottom had an Iron Cross, with the ribbon spread above it intertwined with a spread of leaves on both sides. On the left, these were laurels while on the right they were oak leaves. In the center, the medal bore the inscription  DIVISION ESPAÑOLA DE VOLUNTARIOS EN RUSIA” (Division of Spanish Volunteers in Russia) in capital letters. On top of the medal was the ribbon ring, through which a ribbon loop was placed which was normally stamped with the number “1”. The ribbon was 30mm wide, with a 4mm black edge, a 2mm white stripe and an 18mm black center band with a 3mm yellow stripe on this black. 
The medal was presented on a maroon box with paper hinge or in an envelope in which the entire name of the award was written in gothic script. In both cases the award was wrapped in tissue paper. 

It is interesting to note that Franco allowed the wear of Nazi Germany awards in their original form after the War. Therefore the “Blue Division” medal was produced in Spain even after the war as a replacement piece for veterans. It should be mentioned that because their wear was officially sanctioned, these are not considered reproductions. 

Spanish Volunteer Medal (Spanish Government Issued)

The Spanish Government presented the Division with a commemorative medal of its own. This award was surmounted by a Spanish Crown, with its main feature being a Spanish Eagle with an enamel Iron Cross in the center, representative of the collaboration between the nations. The reverse featured the Kremlin and the inscription “Rusia 1941”, denoting that the struggle was in the East. It was held by a white ribbon that had on either side with the national colors of Spain and the Third Reich. 

The medal was presented to all Spanish Volunteers who fought against bolshevism in Russia. Because the swastika was not outlawed in Spain following the war, veterans continued to wear their awards as originally designed. This meant that there was a market for replacements, so this medal was in production after the end of the war. They may be discerned from one another by the fact that as the initial production run had a space between the talons of eagle, while the later produced ones did not. These later awards, however, are not considered reproductions as the Spanish Government officially sanctioned them. 

* The main part of this article has been taken from Elite Forces of the Third Reich , the rest has been translated from several spanish websites