Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R97906, Warschauer Aufstand, Straßenkampf (2)

The Warsaw Shield, (), or Warsaw Arm Shield (), was a planned

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

military decoration intended for award to

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...

and

Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands. The grew from th ...

servicemen who took part in the suppression of the 1944

Warsaw uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...

. Although authorised, with the conditions of award and the design approved and announced, production had not begun prior to the end of the war and the award was never issued. It was one of a number of campaign shields authorised by the German authorities during the war.

Criteria for award

The

lasted 63 days from 1 August 1944. The Polish resistance attempted to liberate Warsaw as German forces withdrew. However, the approaching

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

temporarily halted outside the city, enabling the Germans to regroup and defeat the uprising. During the fighting German forces committed numerous atrocities, and then razed the city in reprisal. The Warsaw Shield was instituted on 10 December 1944 by

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

, with full award regulations published in the Reich Law Gazette. It was to be "awarded as a battle badge to members of the armed forces and non-military personnel who, between 1 August and 2 October 1944 were honourably engaged in the fighting in Warsaw". The award was to be made by SS-'' Obergruppenfuhrer''

Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski Erich Julius Eberhard von dem Bach-Zelewski (born Erich Julius Eberhard von Zelewski; 1 March 1899 – 8 March 1972) was a high-ranking SS commander of Nazi Germany. During World War II, he was in charge of the Nazi security warfare against tho ...

, who had overall commanded during the operation. Service between 1 August and 2 October 1944 qualified for the shield provided that the recipient had: *spent at least seven days in combat; or *served at least 28 days in the combat area in a non-combat capacity; or *flown at least 20

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

missions over the combat zone. There was no minimum period if the recipient had been wounded in action or decorated for gallantry.

Foreign volunteers The armed forces of many nations have, at one time or another, used foreign volunteers who are motivated by political, ideological or other considerations to join a foreign army. These may be formed into units of a given nationality or may be fo ...

serving alongside German forces qualified on the same basis.

Design

The award was to be a 50 × 62 mm bronze-coloured shield showing a large Wehrmacht-style eagle with folded wings grasping a writhing snake. A mobile

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. I ...

is superimposed on the eagle's neck with, immediately below, a narrow banner with the legend . It was designed by

Benno von Arent Benno von Arent (19 July 1898 – 14 October 1956) was a German film director, artist, architect, designer and a member of the Nazi Party and SS. Early life Arent was born Benno Georg Eduard Wilhelm Joachim von Arent in Görlitz on 19 July 1 ...

, his still-existing original artwork confirming the design. The shield was to be worn on the left upper arm of the uniform. Dies were prepared, but were destroyed in an air-raid and no shields were actually produced before the end of the war. However, some sample

matrices Matrix most commonly refers to: * ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise ** ''The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film ** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchis ...

for the shield survived and have been used as the basis for the post-war manufacture of unofficial examples.

Post war

Wearing Nazi era decorations was banned after Germany's defeat in 1945, and the Warsaw Shield was not among those World War II military decorations authorised for wear by the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south ...

in 1957. This means that examples produced since the war have no official standing, and public wear of the shield in its original form with the swastika would not be allowed under German law.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * {{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II Awards established in 1944 Military awards and decorations of Nazi Germany 1944 establishments in Germany German campaign medals Warsaw Uprising

Criteria for award

Design

Post war

See also

Notes

References