Original German WWII Heer Army Crimea Krim Shield Decoration with Fabric & Paper Backing – Krimschild Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good example of the German WWII Crimea Shield Award, with a lovely metal shield attached to field gray wool Heer (Army) cloth backing, with the back plate and most of the paper backing still intact. The wool is in very good condition, with just a bit of fading, and no major mothing we can see. It does show some stitch holes near the edge, so it was definitely installed on a uniform at some point. The lower two prongs were also pulled out from under the paper at some point.

The plated alloy main shield still retains most of the original antiqued brass finish, with some wear through and oxidation on the edges. It looks to be made from stamped zinc, with brass clips on the back. The backing plate is non magnetic, and completely covered on the rear by the paper backing, which shows overall wear and some tearing around the edges and at the bottom.

A very nice lightly used example with a lovely patina, ready to add to your collection!

The Crimea Shield (Krimschild or KRIM Shield) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to military personnel under the command of Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein who fought against Soviet Red Army forces and captured the Crimea region (Krim in German) between 21 September 1941 and 4 July 1942. It was instituted on 25 July 1942. It was the most widely distributed of the various German shields with approximately 250,000 being awarded.

Design
The Wehrmacht’s Army Group South advanced through the Crimean peninsula between the Autumn of 1941 and Summer of 1942. To commemorate the hostilities that ended with the German capture of Sevastopol on 4 July 1942 the Crimea Shield was created for all members of the armed forces under area commander Field Marshal Erich von Manstein.

The shield is headed by the German eagle clutching a laurel wreath surrounding a swas. Flanking the eagle are the dates 1941 and 1942, which represent the start and end dates of the campaign. This sits on the backdrop of the Crimean peninsula, where the fighting took place, which has the word KRIM stamped across it.

Criteria for award
The Crimea Shield could be awarded to all members of the Wehrmacht and to Luftwaffe and other units affiliated to the campaign between 21 September 1941 and 4 July 1942. The following conditions needed to have been met for the award:
– Served in the area for at least 90 days; or
– Been wounded while serving in the area; or
– Had been engaged in at least one major operation against the enemy

Romanian troops serving in the Crimea were also eligible for the award.

Gold version
A special pure-gold version of the Crimea Shield was also produced. It was first bestowed upon Marshal Ion Antonescu, the military dictator of Romania, at the end of the Siege of Sevastopol (3 July 1942). It was awarded to him in Bucharest by Erich von Manstein, on Adolf AH’s behalf. The second and last Golden Krimschild was awarded to von Manstein himself, on 24 November 1942.