Beautiful Crimean shield for the army. 1 of the 4 pins on the back is broken off (present) hence this great price.

The Crimean Shield was a German military decoration awarded to military personnel under the command of General Field Marshal Erich von Manstein to servicemen who fought against the Russians between 21 September 1941 and 4 July 1942 during the conquest of Crimea. The shield was instituted on July 25, 1942 and has been awarded approximately 250.000 times. To receive the shield, one of the following criteria had to be met:

1. Participation in one of the following battles:
   – Breakthrough in the battle of Perekop (21 to 30 September 1941)
   – Breakthrough in the battle of Juschne (18 to 27 October 1941)
   – Breakthrough in the battle of Kerch (October 28 to November 16, 1941)
   – First attack on Sevastopol (17 to 31 December 1941)
   – Battle of Feodosija (15 to 18 January 1942)
   – Defense at Parpatsch (19 January to 7 May 1942)
   – Recapture of Kerch (8 to 21 May 1942)
   – Second attack on Sevastopol (June 7 to July 4, 1942)
2. Wounded in battle
3. Served continuously for three months south of the Genischesk-Salkowo-Perekop line

The Crimean Shield was also awarded to soldiers of the Romanian Army.

The shield was worn on the upper left arm of the uniform. Usually the shield was sewn to the arm through the piece of fabric on the back, sometimes the fabric was removed and the shield pinned directly to the sleeve.

The color of the fabric indicated which military branch the recipient belonged to:

Green for Lord (Army)
Blue for Luftwaffe (Air Force)
Black for Panzertruppe (armored units)