Long M Cholm Shield

Product Description: This original Long M Cholm Shield is a rare award. It presents some condition issues from poor storage over time. The obverse shows little or no wear and retains about half of the original finish. The bare metal shows lots of old, stable rust, with some slight pitting to the surface in some areas. The original backing is present, and is a typical plain weave wartime wool in the field gray color used by the Heer and Waffen-SS. Most of the original surface nap on the wool is missing, and there are some small holes as well as staining. The back plate intact with rust. The prongs on the shield have rusted off, but the shield is still attached to the back plate. This piece shows its age, with rust on both sides. This is a hard to find award that is missing from most collections, and is being offered here at a much cheaper price than one would expect to pay for a more intact example.

Historical Description: In early 1942, the Soviet Army began its winter counter offensive. During the ensuing battles, the small town of Cholm was encircled. The German forces in the area, numbering only roughly 5,500 men made up of an ad hoc force of Luftwaffe, Polizei, and Heer, set up a defensive perimeter around the strategically important town. During the siege of Cholm, the German forces were under constant pressure from the three Soviet Divisions which made up the encirclement. With almost no heavy weapons, and little ammunition, the German defenders held off the constant Soviet attacks until relief finally came on May 5, 1942. The Cholm Shield was designed during the encirclement by both the commanding officer of the Cholm Pocket, Generalmajor Theodor Scherer, and Polizei Rotwachtmeister Schlimmer. The Cholm Shield was instituted on July 1, 1942 and was awarded to those who fought inside the Cholm Pocket between January 21 and May 5, 1942. Because only 5,500 men of the German Army served inside the Cholm Pocket, the Cholm Shield is today the rarest of the officially made Campaign Shields.

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