Original German WWII Kuban Bridgehead Shield Decoration – Ärmelschild Kuban Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good example with an excellent metal shield unattached to a wool uniform piece. There is some oxidation present and this could very well have been a battlefield pickup. The front has a great aged brass patina. 

The Kuban Shield (Ärmelschild Kuban) was a World War II military decoration of NSDAP Germany, awarded to those who fought at the Kuban bridgehead in the Soviet Union from February 1943 until it was abandoned in October 1943. The award was instituted on 21 September 1943

The shield is designed in a similar fashion to the Crimea Shield and was struck in sheet metal or zinc and treated with a bronzed wash. It features a German eagle with outstretched wings clutching a laurel wreath with a swas. On each side the wreath are the numbers 19 and 43. Directly below the eagle is written KUBAN in block capital letters. Below this name is a stylized map of the Kuban region, with a line representing the defensive line that the men fought to preserve with the location of the bridgeheads – KRYMSKAJA, LAGUNEN, and NOWOROSSIJSK.

The shield was worn on the upper left sleeve of the tunic. A back plate, which held in place a piece of cloth matching the recipients’ branch of service, was applied to the shield:

– Field Gray for Heer (army)
– Blue for Luftwaffe (air force)
– Black for Panzer units (armoured units)

The criteria for award of the shield to military personnel: Served in the bridgehead for 60 days; been wounded while defending the bridgehead; or Had been engaged in a single major operation at the bridgehead.