Lappland Shield

Lappland Shield
Lapplandschild
Awarded by Nazi Germany
Type Badge
Eligibility Military personnel
Awarded for actions against British and Soviet forces in Northern Norway
Campaign World War II
Status Obsolete
Description Commemorative shield worn on the upper left sleeve of uniform
Statistics
Established February 1945

The Lappland Shield (German: Lapplandschild) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to military personnel of General Franz Böhme’s 20th Mountain Army which had been fighting a two-front campaign against the advancing Finnish and Soviet Army forces in Lapland between November 1944 and the war’s end in May 1945. It was awarded to men who had "honorably served" for six months in the region. It was authorized in February 1945 and was the last officially instituted German campaign shield of the war. It continued to be awarded after the end of the war in May, 1945 by the unit commander.[1]

Design

A basic shield with flat top and rounded bottom incorporates an eagle at the top but without a swastika. Directly below this, in capital letters, is written "LAPPLAND" and beneath this appears a map of the region. Four small holes were punched in the shield to allow it to be sewn on the upper left sleeve of the uniform, however, it had no back-plate or uniform cloth section attached.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Angolia 1987, pp. 284, 285.

References

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