History

The Cuff Title was instituted on March 12, 1945, and was conferred upon members of the German Army who served in the Courland region of Latvia near the end of the war. At this point, Army Group Courland was surrounded by the Red Army, and was completely cut-off from the rest of Germany.

The Cuff Title was established less than two months before the capitulation of Nazi Germany, and was the last cuff title instituted for the Wehrmacht.

The award was manufactured locally in the Courland area, and through a variety of means. Some of the awards were created on hand looms, mechanical looms, and even by local housewives who owned sewing machines. As such, there is a great deal of variety in the appearance of the awards.

The statutes for the Award did not survive the Second World War, but it was likely conferred upon military personnel for participating in three engagements in the Courland area, or only one if the recipient was wounded. The Award was likely conferred upon non-combative troops for serving in the area for at least three months.