Lorient Shield

SKU: 01.GTR.0506.101.01

Estimated market value:

$ Click to See Price/Value

Estimated market value:

$ Click to See Price/Value

Attributes

country

Germany
date of institution

1944
makers

Locally produced "in field".
remarks

Versions are known to exist in metal, but also paper, carton, or leather. The metal versions fetch two to three times the value of other materials. After D-Day, the city of Lorient was cut off from the rest of the German forces. The shield was awarded to about half of the German soldiers in Lorient around Christmas 1944. The shields were produced from whichever materials were available in the encircled city. Soldiers were not allowed to wear it on their uniform, as it was not a state-sanctioned campaign shield.

History

Lorient was a German submarine base in Brittany, which remained an isolated area of resistance following the successful American attack on the beaches of Normandy in 1944, and the liberation of the rest of the area.

The troops in this area were completely cut off from the rest of the German armed forces, and they created the Badge themselves in a local fish cannery.

The design of the badge was approved by the garrison's Commander, Admiral Henneke in December 1944.

The design of material varies, with one version produced near the end of the war depicting a warrior with an upraised shield symbolizing the defence from an aerial attack.

The badges are composed out of a variety of materials, as they were produced from whatever material was readily available. Eventually supplies ran out, and the badges could no longer be issued.

This Badge is unofficial, although it is of considerable historical interest.