Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very attractive German WWII Silver Grade Close Combat Clasp, known in German as the Nahkampfspange in Silber, manufactured by Friedrich Linden of Lüdenscheid. The reverse bears the firm's distinctive FLL trademark, with each letter contained within one of three adjoining circles.

The clasp is of silvered zinc construction and follows the distinctive horizontally elongated design created for this award. The center features a German national eagle and swas. above a crossed bayonet and Model 24-style stick grenade. Oak leaves and acorns frame the central panel, while ribbed radiating fields lead outward to additional oak-leaf sprays at either end.

The reverse bears the raised inscription:

FEC. W. E. PEEKHAUS
BERLIN

The abbreviation FEC. derives from the Latin fecit, meaning approximately “made by” and identifies Wilhelm Ernst Peekhaus of Berlin, who is credited with designing the Close Combat Clasp.

The opposite side bears the distinctive trademark:

F L L

with each letter enclosed within one of three adjoining circles. This identifies the manufacturer as Friedrich Linden of Lüdenscheid.

Condition is good overall, with the clasp retaining an attractive amount of its silver-colored finish despite some wear. The finish has mellowed to a gray-silver tone, with brighter traces remaining on portions of the raised surfaces and darker oxidation and patination visible throughout the recessed areas. The zinc body shows scattered surface spotting, oxidation, and age-related texture, particularly on the reverse. The central relief remains well defined, including the oak leaves, crossed weapons, eagle, and ribbed side panels.

The most notable condition issue is the missing central backing plate, which was originally fitted behind the central combat motif. Its absence leaves the interior cutouts and reverse of the central design exposed.

The Nahkampfspange, or Close Combat Clasp, was instituted on November 25, 1942 as a recognition specifically for repeated participation in close-range ground combat. Unlike many campaign decorations or assault badges, qualification depended upon an accumulated number of officially recognized close-combat days rather than participation in a particular campaign.

Three grades were established:

• Bronze – 15 qualifying close-combat days
• Silver – 30 qualifying close-combat days
• Gold – 50 qualifying close-combat days

The Silver Grade represented here therefore required substantially more documented close-range combat than the introductory Bronze Grade.

A qualifying day did not simply mean that a soldier had been somewhere near the front. Period regulations were intended to recognize actual close combat fought on foot, including offensive and defensive actions in which the individual directly engaged the enemy at short range. The necessary days could be accumulated over a prolonged period rather than consecutively, allowing experienced frontline soldiers to qualify after repeated combat actions across different operations.

Special provisions also existed for severely wounded soldiers who could no longer reasonably complete the ordinary requirements. In those circumstances, reduced thresholds could be authorized, reflecting the purpose of the clasp as recognition for sustained exposure to close-range fighting rather than simply time spent in a combat zone.

Once awarded, the Close Combat Clasp was worn prominently above the ribbon bar on the left breast of the uniform. Its elongated form and central weapons motif made it one of the most immediately recognizable German Army combat decorations of WWII.