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Blue Division Relics

Article about: Amongst the rarest items we encounter in the Balltefiled relic world, we have those used by the Blue Division, rare, because all the German equipment and weapons were returned when the unit

  1. #1

    Default Blue Division Relics

    Amongst the rarest items we encounter in the Balltefiled relic world, we have those used by the Blue Division, rare, because all the German equipment and weapons were returned when the unit was repatriated to Spain. Therefore the only material we can find today are those items smuggled as souvenirs by the returning veterans or those left behind in the battlefields in Russia.

    A fascinating fact was how the Spaniards combined their Spanish equipment and insignia with the German. So we encounter a rich combination of material....

    It is necessary to address the fact that not all the relics found in the sector of the Blue Division, necessarily belong to the unit. In most cases the positions occupied by the Spaniards were handed over to the Germans, who in turn occupied and hence the things found in them more than likely belonged to German soldiers. Those positions that were exclusively defended by Spaniards and due to the nature of the fighting were overrun and ended in soviet hands such as those of the fighting in Krasny Bor, Voljov bridgehead (Possad, Otenski, sitno, tigoda, Duborvka), or those that changed hands several times like the "Intermedia", Posselok, Synavino heights, Teremez is where items that might belonged to Blue Division soldiers can be found.

    Now, unless the items recovered are Spanish or bare any symbol that identifies them as such it's hard to tell whether the former owner was Spanish or German. In the case of helmets its extremely hard as most of them did not bear the Spanish volunteer issue decal.

    Here we have several items recovered form the Novgorod sector and principally from the Black February Battlefield, Battle of Krasny Bor!!!

    Blue Division Relics

    Blue Division Relics

    Blue Division Relics
    Last edited by Sadurni; 04-30-2013 at 05:31 PM.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Blue Division Relics

    Now one item that is particularly rare is the Blue Division helmet. Most of them did not bare the issued spanish volunteer decal, which is quite unique in shape and characteristics.....

    Blue Division Relics
    Last edited by Sadurni; 04-30-2013 at 05:32 PM.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Blue Division Relics

    Very rare, of course, many thanks Sadurni.

  4. #4

    Default Re: Blue Division Relics

    Great items and thanks for sharing!...

  5. #5

    Default Re: Blue Division Relics

    Blue Division Relics

    Now...why are this lids so rare.....! well the simple fact is that not all of them received the Spanish issue volunteer decal. Furthermore.....this helmets did not received the decal on the factory, but were applied by the volunteers themselves to the best of their knowladge. Initially at the Bavarian training camp in 1941. Probably this were applied more carefully than those later applied at the field and many flecked off leaving the outline or just traces of it....

    More over most of the helmets used by the unit did not have decals at all or just the Heer..., some friends while working with the volksbund in Possad told me that the helmets found had only Heer decal or none at all...., but one thing is certain, the use of the issue decal continued, maybe at a smaller scale, as there are period photos of M42 helmets bearing the decal and know of an M40 marked hkp bearing the outline of the decal, so we have a 1943 produced helmet bearing the Spanish Freiwillige issue decal....

    Last edited by Sadurni; 04-30-2013 at 07:17 PM.

  6. #6

    Default Re: Blue Division Relics

    My pleasure my friends...it has been real hard to find this items and mostly it comes down to luck to know the right friends in Russia.....

  7. #7

    Default Re: Blue Division Relics

    Blue Division Id TagsBlue Division Relics

  8. #8

    Default Re: Blue Division Relics

    Blue Division Relics
    Ghosts from the past

  9. #9
    ?

    Default Re: Blue Division Relics

    Nice rare relics you have got there

  10. #10

    Default Re: Blue Division Relics

    In 1943, the Blue Division was moved from the Novgorod sector to the Leningrad sector. There it was to assist in the siege of the said city. In the south, The Soviets had been able to annihilate the 6th army by penetrating through the Italian and Romanian flanks encircling the Germans. Now in 43 in order to break the siege, the prepared a major offensive that would destroy the Spanish line.

    44,000 thousand troops along with 100 tanks were committed to attack a line held only by 5,000 Spaniards....


    On February 10th, at 6:40 AM the soviet artillery began pounding the Spanish positions..the barage lasted for 2 hrs...and then the advance began. To their surprise the Spanish came out and deafened their positions stubbornly, with the renowned bravery of the old Spanish infantry "Tercios" of the old age.....!

    Eventually the soviets broke the line, but instead of using the momentum achieved, they decided to terminate those pockets of Spanish resistance that still herald. This gave the unit time to reorganize, counterattack and stop the soviet offensive dead on its tracks.....but a great price....!

    Here we have items recovered from the Spanish positions in front of Kolpino..probably of Regiment 262:

    Blue Division Relics

    ARRIBA ESPAÑA!!!

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