ST&L Lappland Shield

[mevm36]

Another great find ... ST&L Lappland Shield. Only need the Kuban and Krim and then my 57er shield collection is finished. Kuban is not difficult to find however the Krim, well that is another story all together...keeping my eyes peeled though......

Marcus

[speedytop]

Hi Marcus,

Lappland shields are not 57er decorations, they are explicit excluded in the law from 1957 (in the official "Kommentar zum Ordensgesetz").

Uwe

[mevm36]

Thank you for the information Uwe, knowledge of others is always appreciated and accumulated to pass on. Do we know why this shield and perhaps other decorations were excluded? Still another nice piece for my collection.

Hi Marcus,

Lappland shields are not 57er decorations, they are explicit excluded in the law from 1957 (in the official "Kommentar zum Ordensgesetz").

Uwe

[speedytop]

Hi Marcus,

many Third Reich decorations had been excluded, eg. all sports decorations, all NSDAP (and related organizations) decorations; it was not allowed, to wear them.

For the Lorient and the Lappland shield it was the missing official authorisation.

Uwe

[Zheleznyi]

however the Krim, well that is another story all together...keeping my eyes peeled though......

What is the problem with buying it?

[HPL2008]

In my experience, the 1957er Krimschild is not hard to find. (In Germany, anyway. At least three dealers currently have one for sale.)

The rarest is the 1957er Cholmschild (which, of course, reflects the fact that it had by far the lowest award numbers of all shields).

[mevm36]

I picked this one up recently...





M.

In my experience, the 1957er Krimschild is not hard to find. (In Germany, anyway. At least three dealers currently have one for sale.)

The rarest is the 1957er Cholmschild (which, of course, reflects the fact that it had by far the lowest award numbers of all shields).

[HPL2008]

Congrats! I had noticed that one when it was offered on Marco Kögl's site.

[mevm36]

Thanks,

When I saw it, I jumped at the opportunity as I know that this one is very difficult to find....

Congrats! I had noticed that one when it was offered on Marco Kögl's site.

[birdie]

Why no swaztika on the wartime Lappland shield?

[HPL2008]

Why no swaztika on the wartime Lappland shield?

Because the shield - or, more precisely, its design - wasn't really wartime anymore:

Although the shield was instituted by the commander of the Lapland front in March 1945, actual preparations for its manufacture only began at some point after 8 May 1945, with the first ones presented in July 1945.

[Simon O.]

Hi Marcus,

many Third Reich decorations had been excluded, eg. all sports decorations, all NSDAP (and related organizations) decorations; it was not allowed, to wear them.

For the Lorient and the Lappland shield it was the missing official authorisation.

Uwe

The authorization from the top was there from March 45, but AOK 20, which was responsible for organizing and awarding the shield hadn't done so by the end of the war and only began from the 1st July 45. I think that's why the post-war authorities didn't want to include it. But the veterans associations didn't have to play politics so got them made anyway in the same manner as the 57s

[Simon O.]

Because the shield - or, more precisely, its design - wasn't really wartime anymore:

Although the shield was instituted by the commander of the Lapland front in March 1945, actual preparations for its manufacture only began at some point after 8 May 1945, with the first ones presented in July 1945.

It was instituted and approved by high command in March. AOK 20 under Franz Böhme however hadn't got as far as issuing the necessary orders by the end of the war. Once things settled down in Norway Böhme issued the orders initiating the award, with it's criteria etc. on the 1st July. This is why you will never see a Lappland award dated between 8th May and 30th June. All pre-8th May awards you may see are backdated.

Basically, AOK 20 followed the correct procedure for initiating the award to troops within the restrictions present in Norway. ie. decorations had to be de-nazified and they had no access to manufacturing facilities. Though i do know prototypes were made by Army command and it is my belief that that prototype design would eventually be that seen in the so called '57' version.

[HPL2008]

The authorization from the top was there from March 45, but AOK 20, which was responsible for organizing and awarding the shield hadn't done so by the end of the war and only began from the 1st July 45. I think that's why the post-war authorities didn't want to include it.

The authorities were aware that the shield was instituted in March 1945; the fact that it was only manufactured and presented post-May 1945 was not the problem. As Uwe said, the express reason for the Lapplandschild not being recognized under the '57 regulations was that it was not officially authorized by the proper state authorities.

In a letter of 7 July 1960, the Bundesministerium des Inneren [Federal Ministry of the Interior] stated:

"Die bisherigen Ermittlungen des Bundesministeriums des Innern haben ergeben, dass der Lapplandschild von dem örtlichen Befehlshaber der Lapplandfront eingeführt wurde, ohne daß der 'Führer und Reichskanzler' die – erforderliche – Genehmigung erteilt hat. Der Lapplandschild wird daher nicht unter die wiederzugelassenen Auszeichnungen fallend angesehen, weil er – mangels dieser Genehmigung – nicht von einer 'zuständigen deutschen Stelle' (im Sinne von §6 Absatz 1, Nr. 3 des Ordensgesetzes) gestiftet worden ist."

["Research undertaken by the Federal Ministry of the Interior so far has come to the result that the Lapland Shield was introduced by the local commander of the Lapland front without the 'Führer und Reichskanzler' having given his - necessary - permission. Thus, the Lapland Shield is not considered to be among the re-permitted decorations, as - due to the lack of said permission - it was not instituted by an 'authorized German agency' (within the meaning of § 6, subparagraph 1, no. 3 of the Ordensgesetz)."]

(The authorized agencies under said provision being: The territorial sovereigns, the emperor, the state governments, the Reichs Government, the Reichs President and the Federal President.)


The annotations to the Ordensgesetz elaborate:

"Der Lapplandschild ist im März 1945 vom örtlichen Befehlshaber der Lapplandfront eingeführt worden. Die hierfür erforderliche Genehmigung ist nach den vorliegenden Unterlagen nicht erteilt worden, so daß der Lapplandschild lediglich als Erinnerungsabzeichen, aber nicht als Ehrenzeichen im Sinne des Ordensgesetzes angesehen werden kann."

["The Lapland Shield was introduced by the local commander of the Lapland front in March 1945. According to the available files, the necessary permission for this had not been granted, so that the Lapland Shield can merely be considered to be a commemorative badge, but not a decoration within the meaning of the Ordensgesetz)."

...and:

"Nicht wieder getragen werden dürfen:
a) der Lorient-Schild, der von dem Kommandanten der eingeschlossenen Festung Lorient geschaffen wurde, und
b) der Lappland-Schild, der auf eine Stiftung des örtlichen Befehlshabers an der Lapplandfront zurückgeht.
Beide Abzeichen sind niemals offiziell genehmigt worden, es fehlt daher bei ihnen an der Voraussetzung, daß sie von einer 'zuständigen deutschen Stelle' gestiftet worden sind. Während Orden und Ehrenzeichen allgemein nur vom 'Führer und Reichskanzler' gestiftet werden konnten [...], wurden die Waffenabzeichen für die einzelnen Wehrmachtteile von den Oberbefehlshabern der Wehrmachtteile mit Genehmigung des 'Führers und Reichskanzlers' eingeführt, Stiftungen nachgeordneter Stellen waren dagegen nicht zulässig. Dementsprechend dürfen auch andere von örtlichen oder regionalen Befehlshabern gegen Kriegsende gestiftete oder eingeführte Abzeichen nicht wieder getragen werden [...]"

["Not to be worn again are:
a) the Lorient Shield, which was created by the commander of the encircled Fortress Lorient, and
b) the Lapland Shield, which originated with an institution by the local commander of the Lapland front.
Both badges were never officially authorized; thus they lack the precondition of having been instituted by an 'authorized German agency". Whereas orders and decorations in general could only be instituted by the 'Führer und Reichskanzler' [...], the combat badges of the individual services of the armed forces were introduced by the Commanders-in-Chief of the armed services with permission by the 'Führer und Reichskanzler'; institutions made by subordinate agencies were not legit. Consequently, badges instituted or introduced by local or regional commanders shortly before the end of the war may not be worn again [...]"]

[Simon O.]

It's a moot point now of course but in my opinion they arrived at that decision because they couldn't find the relevant orders from March 45 or indeed the orders from July 45. In fact, the following statement is demonstrably mistaken

Der Lapplandschild ist im März 1945 vom örtlichen Befehlshaber der Lapplandfront eingeführt worden

.

They just didn't have access to the relevant paperwork as it's sitting buried in the Norwegian national archives, and until a couple of years ago, the whole Deutscher Oberbefehlshaber Norwegen archive of over 300 boxes wasn't even properly catalogued! In that archive are the original orders signed by Böhme on 1st July 1945

As you can see from article 1 of the award's institution, it specifically states that Hitler had approved the award in March 45. The initials Bö that can be seen on this draught is that of Böhme.