The shield "Lapland" ( it. Lapplandschild ) is a German commemorative badge for soldiers of the 20th Mountain Army and Kriegsmarine who participated in battles against Soviet, Finnish and British troops in northern Finland and Norway .
| Shield "Lapland" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lapplandschild | ||
| ||
| A country |  Germany | |
| Type of | Mark of distinction | |
| To whom is handed | soldiers of the 20th mountain army and kriegsmarine | |
| Foundations | service in Lapland | |
| Status | not given | |
| Statistics | ||
| Establishment Date | May 1, 1945 | |
Content
History
In the winter of 1945, General Franz Böhme , appointed in January as commander of the 20th Mountain Army, initiated the establishment of an award shield for his subordinate units who fought against the advancing Soviet, Finnish and British forces. Although the official institution of the award was dragged down, the records of awarding the mark in the soldiers' books of the soldiers of the 20th Mountain Army began to be made from April 1945
The official approval took place on May 1, 1945, but already on May 8, the 20th Highland Army capitulated to the British. The British command allowed to continue the award with this sign and to establish its production in the camps for prisoners of war. The shields were made by the artisanal method from various materials at hand - zinc, aluminum, tin, etc. Shields of industrial production are known. The shield "Lapland" is the last officially established award shield of the Third Reich.
The criteria for awarding the shield were:
- service in the 20th mountain army for 6 months,
- injury sustained during service in the 20th Mountain Army,
- performing a heroic action in battle.
Also known are award sheets, which were handed over to the sailors of the crigsmarine on behalf of Admiral Kranka .
Description
The sign represents a shield rounded from below, on which a schematic representation of the northern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula (Lapland) is placed. In the upper part of the shield there is an inscription “LAPPLAND”, above which is a horizontal beam extending beyond the shield, crowned with a single head, with wings lowered, an eagle (without a swastika).
There are 4 holes in the shield for sewing the mark on clothes.
Signs of industrial and handicraft work differ in details and quality.
Literature
- Kurylev O.P. Battle Awards of the Third Reich. - M .: Eksmo , 2005. - p. 232-233.
Links
- The Lapland Shield is the Reich's Award ww2awards.info. The appeal date is October 24, 2015.