Awards of
World War IIA Third Reich award given to both civilians and military personnel who took part in fighting while surrounded near the town of Kholm. The Kholm Shield was established on July 1, 1942.
Materials
aluminum, later zinc.
Dimensions
65*40 mm.
Design author
Schlimmer, Klein.
The Kholm Shield was established on July 1, 1942. The award was given to soldiers who fought in the encirclement near the town of Kholm, as well as to policemen and Luftwaffe pilots who flew into the area between January 21 and May 5, 1942. In total, the Kholm Shield was awarded to approximately 5,500 people.
The award is designed in the form of a classic shield. In the center of the Kholm Shield is an iron cross with a swastika at its center, the swastika in this case being larger than on the Iron Cross. Atop the cross is an eagle with lowered wings, the lower edges of the wings almost reaching the base of the cross. Below the cross is the inscription "KHOLM," and below that, the date "1942."
There are two versions of the Kholm Shield. The first was made of aluminum and painted silver. It was attached to clothing with three clips (antennae), two at the top and one at the bottom. The shield was placed on an oval-shaped backing. The second version of the Shield for the Hill differed in the size of the "HILL" and "1942" inscriptions. It was made of zinc and had four clips, two at the top and two at the bottom. The shield was placed on a backing that matched the shape of the shield.
Like other shields, the Kholmsky Shield is worn on the uniform, on the upper left sleeve. After the end of the war, wearing the Kholm shield was legalized in a denazified version.
In early January, Red Army troops began the Rzhev-Vyazma Offensive Operation, part of which was the Toropets-Kholm Operation, the goal of which was to encircle and defeat enemy groups in the area of the settlements of Demyansk and Kholm. As a result of the operation, the city of Kholm was encircled on January 21st, encircling two infantry divisions and the 553rd Infantry Regiment, a total of 5,000 men. By February 8th, six Third Reich divisions, numbering 100,000 men, were encircled in the Demyansk area.
Supply to the divisions was urgently organized by air; the encircled Kholm divisions had only a few 88mm mortars, 37mm mortars, and 50mm mortars. Anti-tank guns, as well as two light anti-tank guns. Long-range artillery and aircraft provided fire support to the troops defending Kholm. During the encirclement, the Kholm group managed to repel over 100 infantry attacks and 42 tank attacks.
The encircled group was only relieved in May 1942. By that time, the group numbered only about 1,200 men; 1,550 were killed, the rest wounded. An award was developed for all participants who courageously fought during the encirclement: the Kholm Shield, established on July 1, 1942.