Silver Close Combat Clasp : Lothar Scholz, Wehrmacht

Silver Close Combat Clasp. Instituted on 25 November 1942, the clasp was awarded in three classes (gold, silver and bronze), to front line troops for hand to hand fighting.

Associated with Lothar Scholz who served in the 125 Infantry Division, Wehrmacht (German Army), when he enlisted in April 1942, and after 1942 was a member of various Kampfgruppen. He was sent to fight in Russia and was wounded three times. The third time, he was flown from Russia to a hospital in Germany, where he was awarded the Iron Cross (2nd Class). After attending officer's training, he was sent back to Russia, but his platoon was outnumbered by Russian soldiers and dispersed. He destroyed all his identification and most of his uniform. Taken prisoner of war (POW) by Russian soldiers, he was was transported to a POW Camp near Konigsberg in Germany, and later taken to a camp in Siberia. In September 1945 he was sent home due to ill health. He was discharged from the Wehrmacht in December 1945 by British troops who occupied the zone in which he and his family lived.