Awards of
World War IIThe Warsaw Shield was established on December 10, 1944, and was intended to serve as a commemorative award for members of the Wehrmacht and auxiliary forces who participated in suppressing the Warsaw Uprising between August 1 and October 4 of that year.
The Warsaw Uprising was organized by the Home Army leadership and the Polish government-in-exile. Its goal was to liberate Warsaw using local militia forces before the arrival of the Red Army, which by that time was already on the outskirts of the city. To suppress the uprising, a force of 6,621 men under the command of Erich von dem Bach was assembled from the regiments and battalions available in the Warsaw area. The uprising's leaders hoped that a Soviet attack on the city would force the Wehrmacht to divert its forces to contain the Russian advance. However, the Red Army, aware of the uprising, adopted a wait-and-see approach, preparing to strike only after one side had been routed and the other exhausted by the fighting. The result of these Soviet actions was the rout of the militias, and on September 2, the commander of the Home Army, General Tadeusz Bur-Komorowski, signed a capitulation. Both sides, during the clashes and in their treatment of prisoners and wounded, resorted to methods that exceeded all bounds of cruelty, and committed outright atrocities. For their actions, Brigadeführer Kaminsky, commander of the 29th SS Division Rona, and Oberführer Derlevanger, commander of the 36th Division, were executed, which was unusual for that period of the war.
The shield itself has a flat top and a pointed bottom. The main area of the shield is occupied by a large imperial eagle, with folded wings and head turned to the right, symbolizing the German troops. In its talons, the eagle holds a coiled snake with an open mouth, symbolizing the insurgents. On the eagle's chest is the inscription "Warsaw 1944" and a swastika.
To receive the Warsaw Shield, one had to meet one of the following criteria:
At least seven days of direct participation in combat
Being wounded
Achieving a heroic feat during combat
Serving for at least 28 days in a combat zone
For pilots, completing 20 combat sorties in the combat zone.
The shield was put into production, but as a result of an Allied air raid, the manufacturing plant and the entire batch of shields were destroyed. No one has officially been nominated for this award, but a number of original Warsaw Shields are available for sale; apparently, they were found in the ruins of the factory; the remaining 99% of shields offered for sale are fakes.