SEE BELOW FOR DESCRIPTION
SEE BELOW FOR DESCRIPTION
H036169 "Transitional" EM/NCO'S BELT BUCKLE.
(Koppelschloß)BACKGROUND: Military belts and their corresponding buckles date back centuries and were initially designed for attaching swords and daggers. In 1847 a new innovative box buckle with a quick release catch and corresponding belt were introduced which resulted in a Prussian, Hauptmann Virschow, initiating a new method of carrying personal equipment with the belt and shoulder straps supporting the majority of the weight. This system, with modifications, remains in use in most of the armies in the world to this day. During the Third Reich there was a prescribed form of wear of the belt and buckle with the buckle being positioned on the right side and the corresponding buckle catch on the left side. On January 24TH 1936 a new pattern EM/NCO’s belt buckle was officially introduced to replace the previously worn Weimar era Reichsheer buckle. The basic design of the Reichsheer buckle was retained with the addition of the new Wehrmacht style national eagle. This pattern buckle was worn through-out the Third Reich period with minor manufacturing variations and different colored finishes. The colored finish was determined by regulations depending on what form of uniform it was to be worn with. Privately purchased, bright silver buckles were permitted for wear by EM/NCO personnel with the walking-out dress. Of Note: Orders stipulated that the eagle was to face to the viewers right, but this left facing style of buckle was inexplicably manufactured for a short time in early 1936, until corrected to facing to the viewers right in March 1936.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Private purchase, early, 1936 pattern, stamped, two piece, alloy construction box buckle with a bright silver wash features a pebbled base field and a separate embossed face plate attached by two soldered points which are visible on the reverse. The domed, circular face plate features an embossed Wehrmacht style eagle with down swept wings with the eagle facing to viewers left, (the eagles right), on a subtly pebbled field to the center, encompassed by an embossed oak-leaf cluster to the bottom and script, "Gott Mit Uns", (God With Us), to the top. The oak-leaf cluster and script are on a ribbed background and are encircled by both an inner and outer simulated twisted rope border. The reverse of the buckle has a stamped, raised buckle catch a magnetic prong bar and attachment prongs all intact. Maker marked "B N". Scarce buckle with the eagle facing to viewers left.
GRADE ****1/4 PRICE $476.00
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