Krim Shield

Product Description: This Krim Shield is likely a uniform-removed example. It’s made of stamped metal, with a bronze finish. About 96 prcent of the original finish is retained on the obverse, with some spots here and there and minor wear to the high points on the design. It’s a crisp strike, with nice detail. This Krim Shield is missing the original backing cloth and paper with which these sleeve shields were normally issued, but the metal backing plate, normally covered up by the paper backing, is intact. The backing plate has a pleasant, old patina. The shield is affixed to the backing plate with four flat sheet metal prongs, one of which is missing. It’s a nice example of a campaign shield that most likely was actually worn during the war.

Historical Description: The Krim Shield was a combat award of the German Wehrmacht, used to recognize the troops who fought on the Crimean Peninsula, on the Eastern Front, between September 21, 1941, and July 4, 1942. Crimea had been taken by the German Army Group South, specifically the 11th Army led by Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein.  The shield was officially instituted by Adolf Hitler on July 25, 1942, by a proclamation stating that the award would recognize the “heroic battles” in Crimea. The shield depicts a German national eagle and swastika emblem as well as a map of Crimea, along with the word “Krim” and the dates 1941 and 1942. It was worn on the left upper sleeve of the uniform. To qualify for the award, soldiers had to have participated on one of eight specific battles that were a part of the campaign, to have been wounded in action, or to have served 3 months, without interruption, in the Crimea region. Members of all branches of the Wehrmacht, including the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine, were eligible for the award. The shield was made from steel, and later from zinc, and was issued affixed to a backing cloth that allowed it to be stitched to the uniform. Between 200,000 and 300,000 shield were awarded.

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