Uniform Removed Georgien Legion Arm Shield

A scarce uniform removed example of a Georgian Legion Arm Shield in BeVo weave. Very good service used condition but with a small rip on the right hand side base of the Shield possibly cause when removing it from the uniform.

Acquired by a French collector in the Normandy area where this legion saw action in 1944 as the last picture shows.

The Georgian Legion was formed from émigrés living in Western Europe after the 1921 Soviet invasion of Georgia, combined with Soviet prisoners of war of Georgian origin who chose to fight for Germany rather than submit to often brutally poor living conditions in POW camps.

The main Georgian Legion was formed in December 1941. The Georgians trained in western Ukraine and became operational in the autumn of 1942. At least 30,000 Georgians served in the German armed forces during World War II.

With the western allies driving into Germany, the 822 Georgian battalion, stationed on the Dutch island of Texel, rebelled against their German overlords. The resulting battle, known as the Georgian uprising on Texel, continued from April 5, 1945 past the general German surrender, until May 20. This event is sometimes described as Europe's last battle.

Rare to find a uniform removed Foreign Volunteer Legion Shield