The Narvik Shield
The Narvik Shield was a German combat badge designed as a sleeve shield during World War II. It was instituted on August 19, 1940, by Adolf Hitler as Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht. It was the first German award instituted in the form of a sleeve shield.
The design of the Narvik Shield
Raised shield, the colonel's eagle with a swastika, below which was the inscription "Narvik." On the surface below, an edelweiss symbolized the mountain infantry, an anchor symbolized the Kriegsmarine, and a propeller symbolized the Luftwaffe. The shields for members of the Army and Luftwaffe were silver-plated, while those for members of the Kriegsmarine were gold-plated. The size of the shield was approximately 9,2 x 4,1 cm.
The requirements for awarding the Narvik Shield
The Narvik Shield could be awarded to all members of the Wehrmacht who had honorably participated in the landing in Narvik (Norway) or in the fighting of the Narvik Group from April 9 to June 9, 1940.
Award numbers of the Narvik Shield
In total, the Narvik Shield was awarded exactly 8.527 times. Of these, 2.755 shields were awarded to members of the Army, 2.161 to members of the Air Force, and 3.611 to members of the Navy. Each recipient generally received several shields, one for each uniform.
How to wear the Narvik shield
The Narvik shield, like all Wehrmacht sleeve shields, was worn on the left upper arm of the uniform. The shield was backed with a cloth in the uniform color, for example, gray-green for the Army or blue-gray for the Air Force. This cloth backing was then sewn to the uniform itself. Wearing multiple sleeve shields, such as the Crimea shield , Cholm shield , Kuban shield , or Demyansk shield , was permitted, but special regulations applied.
Value and purchase
Due to the large variety of different versions, a value can only be determined individually. Generally, however, you can expect to fetch between €250 and €500 for a single shield in good condition. However, for larger estates, such as those with certificates, photos of wearers, uniforms, etc., the value can easily exceed €1.000.
