Mint Luftwaffe Krim Shield

Product Description:  This Mint Luftwaffe Krim Shield is an outstanding example of this desirable award. It’s an unworn, unissued piece. The shield itself is very attractive, with beautiful, golden tones to the bronze finish on the high points that contrasts with the darker finish in the recesses. All of the original detail is present. The backing fabric on this shield is a typical wartime Luftwaffe blue-gray wool, quite a bit less common than the field gray Heer backing. There is no mothing, no stitch holes or other damage. The reverse of this mint Luftwaffe Krim shield retains its original textbook black paper backing. This piece is virtually pristine, and displays extremely well. It would be very difficult to upgrade.

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 shields were awarded.

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