Ritterkreuzträger with Ärmelschild (Campaign Shield)

The Wehrmacht sleeve shield (Ärmelschild) was a distinctive campaign award worn on the upper left sleeve of the uniform by soldiers who had participated in specific military operations or theaters of war during the Second World War. Unlike decorations such as the Eisernes Kreuz, Deutsches Kreuz in Gold, or Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, the sleeve shield served as a visible symbol of service and endurance in a particular campaign. Constructed primarily from stamped metal mounted on cloth backing, these shields displayed unique designs representing the campaign for which they were awarded. Among the best-known examples were the Narvikschild, awarded to personnel of the Heer, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe who took part in the Norwegian campaign of 1940; the Cholmschild, granted to defenders of the Kholm Pocket; the Krimschild, recognizing service in the Crimean campaign; the Demjanskschild, awarded to troops who endured the encirclement at Demjansk; the Kubanschild, issued to soldiers who fought in the Kuban bridgehead; and the Lapplandschild, one of the last campaign shields authorized during the war. Eligibility generally required a specified period of combat service, participation in major engagements, or wounds received during the campaign. The shields were worn directly on the uniform sleeve and became highly prized distinctions among front-line soldiers, as they represented survival in some of the most difficult battles fought by the Wehrmacht. Today, original wartime Ärmelschilde remain important military collectibles and historical artifacts, illustrating the German armed forces’ practice of commemorating operational service through unique wearable honors tied to specific campaigns rather than general acts of bravery.

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KRIMSCHILD

The Krimschild was a German campaign award of the Wehrmacht instituted by Adolf Hitler on 25 July 1942 to commemorate the successful conquest and defense of the Crimean Peninsula during the campaign of 1941–1942. Designed by Professor Richard Klein, the shield was worn on the upper left sleeve of the uniform and featured a map of the Crimea surmounted by the German eagle and swastika, with the inscription "KRIM" prominently displayed. Eligibility extended to members of Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe, and certain allied personnel who had participated in the fighting in the Crimea for a specified period, been wounded in action, or taken part in major operations such as the capture of Sevastopol. Among the formations whose members commonly received the award were the 11. Armee under Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein, various units of Luftflotte 4, and naval forces operating in the Black Sea. The Krimschild became one of several campaign shields authorized during the war, alongside distinctions such as the Demjanskschild and Kubanschild, and symbolized the hard-fought German victory in one of the most strategically important theaters on the Eastern Front. By the end of the war, hundreds of thousands of personnel had qualified for the award, making it one of the most widely distributed campaign decorations of the German armed forces.

Generalmajor Erich Bärenfänger (1915-1945) was one of the youngest German generals of the Second World War, earning the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, Eichenlaub, and Schwerter for repeated displays of leadership and personal bravery on the Eastern Front. Serving as Oberleutnant and leader of the III./Infanterie-Regiment 123, Bärenfänger distinguished himself during the fierce summer battles of 1942 in southern Russia, where his battalion played a decisive role in breaking Soviet defensive positions in Sebastopol, maintaining the momentum of the German advance despite heavy enemy resistance. For these achievements and his aggressive battlefield leadership, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 7 August 1942. Continuing to lead from the front, he demonstrated exceptional tactical skill during the winter and spring campaigns of 1942–1943, repeatedly restoring critical situations, conducting successful counterstrokes, and inspiring his troops under extremely difficult combat conditions. These accomplishments led to the award of the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 17 May 1943. By late 1943 and early 1944, as a Major and commander of the III./Grenadier-Regiment 123 in some of the most intense fighting on the Eastern Front, Bärenfänger again distinguished himself through bold operational leadership, skillful defensive actions, and the successful management of mobile combat against numerically superior Soviet forces. In recognition of these continued achievements and his outstanding record as a front-line commander, he received the Schwerter zum Eichenlaub des Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 23 January 1944. Rising to the rank of Generalmajor before the end of the war, Bärenfänger became one of the Wehrmacht’s most celebrated young commanders during heavy fighting in Berlin.

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NARVIKSCHILD


Hauptmann Erwin Kreßmann (1918-2017) was born on June 2nd, 1918 in Trassenheide/Pomerania, Germany, and later moved with his family to Wusswerk in the Spreewald. After completing his Reich Labor Service, he volunteered on October 20th, 1936 for the 1st Company of Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 32 in Kolberg on the Baltic Sea, where he underwent driver training, mechanic instruction, and non-commissioned officer courses. Promoted to Gefreiter on October 1st, 1937 and later to Zugführer, he served in the Polish campaign as a platoon leader before his unit transferred to the Rhineland and then took part in the 1940 western campaign in Belgium and France. Promoted to Feldwebel on June 1st, 1940 and to Oberfeldwebel on June 1st, 1941, he fought in Operation Barbarossa, receiving the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse on July 4th, 1941 and the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse on February 1st, 1942, along with the Wound Badge in Black after his first wound. Following the Demyansk fighting he became an officer candidate and transferred to Panzerjäger-Abteilung 24, advancing through the Crimea to Sevastopol and earning the Krimschild, Ostmedaille, and Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen while being promoted to Leutnant on June 1st, 1942 and Oberleutnant on January 11th, 1943. In July 1943 he joined the newly formed schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 519 in Spremberg as Chef of the 1st Company, initially equipped with Hornisse tank destroyers; the unit fought at Vitebsk under Heeresgruppe Mitte, where he received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on January 16th, 1944 and promotion to Hauptmann on February 18th, 1944. After near-destruction of the Abteilung in 1944 it was rebuilt with Jagdpanther vehicles and committed to the Western Front in the Hürtgenwald and Ardennes sectors. On December 9th, 1944 Hauptmann Kreßmann, Chef of 1./schwere Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 519, was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for an action in the Aachen combat area in which his Jagdpanther company, ordered to retake a key locality against superior enemy forces, artillery, and fighter-bomber attacks, destroyed eight Sherman tanks, after which he personally shielded recovery of four mired vehicles under fire, dismounted alone under heavy fire to find a bypass around a mine barrier, then drove unescorted into the village, freed a neighboring unit, and inflicted heavy losses on the withdrawing Americans. In early 1945 he returned to the Eastern Front, destroyed two T-34 tanks in close combat, was severely wounded, captured by U.S. forces near the Elbe, and released from captivity in February 1946. After the war he worked as a driving instructor and in the automotive trade until his death on March 19th, 2017.

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DOUBLE SHIELDS

Krimschild and Kubanschild. Oberstleutnant Werner Ziegler (1916-2001) was born on 30 April 1916 in Hausach in the Black Forest and entered the Wehrmacht in 1936 by joining Infanterie-Regiment 20, receiving promotion to Leutnant in 1939 before becoming Adjutant of the I. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 186 on 3 October 1939. After taking part in the Westfeldzug he assumed command of the 2. Kompanie of Infanterie-Regiment 186 on 1 October 1940 and led it through the Balkanfeldzug and into the opening stages of the campaign against the Soviet Union. On 14 August 1941, during the fighting between the Dniester and the Bug, Leutnant Ziegler and his Kompanie seized the heavily defended town of Petrovskoye on the western bank of the Bug in a swift assault and cleared the surrounding area in bitter house-to-house combat, capturing more than three hundred prisoners; for this action he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 31 December 1941 as Führer of the 2./Infanterie-Regiment 186 of the 73. Infanterie-Division. After the hard positional battles on the Mius in the winter of 1941/42 he again distinguished himself in the Kuban region, and on 6 September 1942 his decisive leadership in the urban fighting during the capture of Noworossisk earned him the Eichenlaub on 8 September 1942 as Oberleutnant and Führer of the same company. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to Hauptmann and took command of the I. Bataillon, advancing to Major on 1 May 1943 near Noworossisk before serving on the staff of the V. Armeekorps and later the 19. Panzerdivision. Returning as Führer of Grenadier-Regiment 186 on 6 March 1944, he was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 June 1944 and became its Kommandeur; during the final battle for Sevastopol his regiment held its positions on Windmill Hill against a major Soviet assault on 7 May 1944 even after being surrounded, maintaining the defence until relieved the following morning by Kampfgruppen Marienfeld and Faulhaber, for which outstanding stand he received the Schwerter on 23 October 1944 as Major and Führer of Grenadier-Regiment 186. Severely wounded, he later served again on the staff of the V. Armeekorps, was taken prisoner at the war’s end and released in 1946. In 1956 he joined the Bundeswehr, eventually commanding the Panzergrenadierbrigade 19 and retiring as Oberst in 1968; he died on 15 April 2001 in Oftersheim.

Source :
https://gmic.co.uk/topic/62440-campaign-cuffs-and-shields-complete-at-last/