The Kuban Shield was established on September 21, 1943 to honor those who had fought maintaining the Kuban bridgeheads before the eventual retreat. To receive the award, Heer personnel had to have served in the campaign for at least 60 days, have been wounded in the campaign, and finally have fought in at least a single major operation. Other branches such as the Luftwaffe or Kriegsmarine had a point system based on what they had accomplished similar to the Flak Badge.