The Close Combat Clasp (German: Nahkampfspange) is a military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for achievement in hand to hand fighting in close quarters.It came in 3 classes: Bronze, Silver and Gold.Highly coveted, the clasp was valued higher than the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.The award came only after extremely close scrutiny.The Gold for example was awarded to only 631 soldiers –out of an approximate total of 18 million.
