The Narvik Shield was issued on August 19th 1940. Adolf Hitler wanted to create a series of shields to be awarded to soldiers who participated in different battles. To this end he commissioned professor Richard Klein (Munich) to design the first of such shields; the Narvik shield. This award was given to soldiers from all branches who participated in the campaign around the Narvik region by Norway. The campaign took place between April 9th and June 9th of 1940.

Anatomy of the Narvik shield
The shield consisted of an elongated shield attached to a piece of wool cloth. The color of the cloth was important in determining the branch of service to which the award was given. The shield has four prongs that attach it to the section of cloth. The award was sewn to the left sleeve of the uniform.

An eagle rests atop the shield. The wings are retracted. The head is facing left. The eagle is clutching a swastika surrounded by a wreath. The word "Narvik" is written in large font just below. The center of the shield has a propellor and an anchor crossing each other. An edelweiss flower is placed just above the intersection. The date 1940 is written, where "19" is displayed to the left of the flower and "40" is written to the right.

The "Military minute" is a series of instructional videos created by MilitaryItems.com for the purpose of providing basic information about military collectibles. The idea is to expose people to the exciting world of military collectibles. The video presentation coupled with detailed photographs and written information, including a military collectible's price guide, and anatomical breakdown of each piece enhances the visitor's experience. Whether you are a long time collector, a beginner or simply have an interest in the history and value of each collectible, we hope that you find the information presented here useful.

By the Numbers
It is hard to determine the exact number of Krim shields that were produced. However, thanks to the record keeping maintained by the Wehrmacht, it is possible to find how many shields were actually issued.

There were a total of 8,577 shields issued during the war. The total number is divided per branch of the service as follows: 2,755 were awarded to the army. 2,161 were issued to Luftwaffe personnel and a total of 3,661 given to Navy personnel. It is interesting to note that the larger number issued to the Navy reflects the use of ships to transport troops to the battle front.

Collecting Third Reich Shields
Collecting Third Reich memorabilia is a field that has been growing since the days the GI's rummaged around Europe bringing back military souvenirs. German soldiers wore many of their awards on their uniforms when they went to battle. Once the soldier was killed or captured, the American soldiers would take the awards as war trophies. Eventually all these pieces came back to the United States where military history enthusiasts began to collect them.

In trying to determine if you should collect Narvik shields there are certain factors that should be considered. The adjacent table outlines some of the advantages and disadvantages of collecting the Narvik shields.

The Narvik shield was produced by several manufacturers and in different configurations. The following section displays some of the different types that were produced. It is a good idea to take a look to as many examples as possible in order to learn more about the subject.

This is a Narvik shield. The backing is missing. No markings are found.

This award is currently being reproduced. It is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because the quality of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of this badge. Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of the badge.