Kuban Shield
| Kuban Shield Ärmelschild Kuban | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded by Nazi Germany | |
| Type | Badge |
| Eligibility | Military personnel |
| Awarded for | those that fought to preserve the bridgeheads between February and October 1943 |
| Campaign | World War II |
| Status | Obsolete |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 21 September, 1943 |
| Distinct recipients | Approximately 145,000 |
The Kuban Shield (German: Ärmelschild Kuban) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to those who fought to preserve the bridgeheads in the Kuban region from February 1943 until they were abandoned in October.
Design
The shield is designed in a similar fashion to the Crimea Shield and was struck in sheet metal or zinc and treated with a bronzed wash. It features a German eagle with outstretched wings clutching a laurel wreath with the swastika inside this. Beside the wreath are the numbers 19 and 43. Directly below the eagle is written KUBAN in capital letters. Below this name is a stylized map of the Kuban region, with a line representing the defensive line that the men fought to preserve. The names of bridgeheads - KRYMSKAJA, LAGUNEN, and NOWORO;SSIJSK are written.
A back plate, which held in place a piece of cloth matching the recipients’ branch of service, was applied to the shield:
- Green for Heer (army)
- Blue for Luftwaffe (air force)
- Black for Panzer units (armoured units)
There were several ways to attach this plate, with again the most popular method being the four prongs, two on top and two directly at the bottom. The shield was worn on the upper left sleeve of the tunic.
Criteria for award
Personnel needed to have defended bridgeheads between February 1943 until they were abandoned in October 1943. For members of the Heer to receive the award they needed:
- To have served in the bridgehead for 60 days.
- To have been wounded while defending the bridgehead.
- To have been engaged in a single major operation at the bridgehead:
- Battle of Krasnodar (1-11 February 1943)
- Defensive battles to prevent the Red Army outflanking the left wing of the army (1 February to 4 March 1943 and 26 to 31 March 1943)
- Defensive actions against enemy landings at Novorossiysk (3 to 28 February 1943)
- Battle of Abin (12 to 1 February 1943)
- Defence of the Troizkoje bridgehead (2 to 8 March 1943)
- Battle for Abinskaja (10 to 16 March 1943)
- Defensive battle at Krymskaja with defense of Kurka front (4 to 18 April 1943)
- Attack against Novorossiysk beachhead (17 to 20 April 1943)
- Defensive battle at Krymskaja with simultaneous defense of the enemy attack in Novorossiysk (29 April to 10 May 1943)
- Defensive battle at Krymskaja (26 May to 8 June 1943)
- Defensive battle at Krymskaja with offensive and defensive battles in Neberdschajewskaja and defense of attacks on Kurka section (16 July to 13 August 1943)
- Defence of the landing attack at Novorossiysk (10 May to 9 October 1943)