Division azul medal

[UK Cousin]

This is one of my medals I probably know the least about. Basically I am wanting to confirm authenticity before I catalog it into my collection database. Any other opinions or info is of course welcome. Thank you all.. Darren

[Adrian Stevenson]

Looks ok to me.

[Franjo Vuk]

That Spanish blue division medal is absolutely stunning. Its one of the most beautiful medals ever made.
Best regards,
Franko

[Aldo]

That Spanish blue division medal is absolutely stunning. Its one of the most beautiful medals ever made.
Best regards,
Franko

Indeed, I have one in my collection but yours looks perfect and the enamel is flawless. In fact mine is lacking the scalloped border around the enamel in the cross present in yours. Darren, well done. Would it be possible to post a photo of the side profile to see the thickness of the medal ? My version is rather flat and less detailed. There is also an Officer's version which is thicker and more ornate in detail. My understanding is that this particular medal commemorating the Russian campaign was created by the government of Spain for the volunteers of the Blue Division. This medal is not to be confused with the Werhmacht commemorative medal for Spanish volunteers. I hope you don't mind that I post a few pictures of mine for a visual comparison of quality and detail.

[UK Cousin]

Indeed, I have one in my collection but yours looks perfect and the enamel is flawless. In fact mine is lacking the scalloped border around the enamel in the cross present in yours. Darren, well done. Would it be possible to post a photo of the side profile to see the thickness of the medal ? My version is rather flat and less detailed. There is also an Officer's version which is thicker and more ornate in detail. My understanding is that this particular medal commemorating the Russian campaign was created by the government of Spain for the volunteers of the Blue Division. This medal is not to be confused with the Werhmacht commemorative medal for Spanish volunteers. I hope you don't mind that I post a few pictures of mine for a visual comparison of quality and detail.

Of course I do not mind. I thank you for your input. Yes I will try to post some side pictures. I didn't know that the Spanish government issued these, I thought they were all German issued.

[UK Cousin]

Difficult photo to take but it would seem it is no thicker than your example.

[Aldo]

Thanks for the picture. I was just trying to see if it was an Officers version which is quite thick in comparison. Yes, this is a Spanish medal produced for Blue Division volunteers by their own government. The picture below is the German commemorative medal for Spanish volunteers. This was exceptional in that no similar decoration were produced for other foreign volunteer units.

The zinc version on the left is an original German wartime example/ the gilded version on the right is a Spanish made replacement medal.

I posted them in more detail on this thread

Tapferkeits- und Erinnerungsmedaille der Spanischen "Blauen Division"

A few reference books on the subject if you are interested, nothing in super detail like the German collector books

[Aldo]

I just found an image of a quality medal like yours with it's original box. Apparently, yours is a first version, issued in 1943 and produced by "Diez y Compania"

This one below is an example of the thick Officer's version, sometimes referred to as a 3 piece construction version. The maker of this is "Rokiski" a name synonymous with Spanish aviation wings. In fact Spanish wings are often called Rokiski's on the websites.

[UK Cousin]

Very nice. You can definitely see the difference in the two.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Here is mine.