Germany, Imperial. A 3rd Guards Infantry Division Commemorative Campaign Plaque

(Gedenktafel für den Feldzug der 3. Garde-Infanterie-Division). Constructed of toned magnetic iron, the obverse bearing a central raised depiction of a medical knight clad in a Stahlhelm and wielding a sword against a cityscape, situated behind a German national eagle at the helm of a handcar, flanked by a lion and wolf rampant, and surrounded by the names of notable campaigns and engagements for the 3rd Guards Infantry Division on both the Eastern and Western Fronts of the First World War, the obverse marked with a partially-legible foundry logo, measuring 14.5 cm (w) x 13.5 cm (h), in extremely fine condition.

Footnote: Formed on the mobilization of the German army in August 1914, the 3rd Guards Infantry Division entered the war on the Western Front and assisted in the capture of Namur (Belgium). The division was then transferred to the Eastern Front, where it participated in a number of key engagements, including the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes and Battle of Łódź, before shifting to the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive.  Returning to the Western Front in April 1916, the division was deployed to the Champagne region before participating in the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. A brief stint on the Eastern Front was followed by another shift westward, where the division saw action at the Battle of Arras and Battle of Passchendaele. Notably, the unit met the Allied tank assault at the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917, before fighting in the German spring offensive of 1918, and concluding the war in combat against American and French forces during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Rated as one of the most effective German divisions by Allied intelligence, the accompanying plaque is a