A World War II German military decoration, the Demyansk Shield, Armelschild Demjansk in German. The zinc badge features an eagle with with swastika, flanked by two log pillboxes with gun ports and inscription Demjansk. The central part of the shield features a head-on single engine aircraft behind two crossed swords and the year 1942. The decoration comes with a document stating that the award was presented to Unterofficer Rainer Scheler on April 1, 1944. The Demyansk Shield was awarded to Wehrmacht personnel who fought in the Demyansk pocket on the Eastern Front in the early months of 1942. The pocket of German troops had been encircled and cut off by the Red Army around Demyansk or Demjansk, Leningrad Oblast, and was successfully defended with the aid of an airbridge. The shield was instituted in April 1943 and was not bestowed after 1 July 1944. Second World War Historical Collectables And Memorabilia, Military Insignia Orders Badges And Awards.