BACKGROUND: The Reichsluftwaffe was official established on February 26^TH 1935 as the third branch of service of the Armed Forces. On March 9^TH 1935 the formation of the new Reichsluftwaffe was announced to the foreign press and on March 16^TH conscription was reintroduced for all three branches of service. On May 21^ST 1935 the Reichsluftwaffe designation was altered to Luftwaffe. On its inception the Luftwaffe adopted most of the uniform items of the earlier DLV, Deutscher Luftsport Verband, (German Air Sports League), and the DLV Fliegerschaft, (Pilot Base) the clandestine, civilian, forerunners of the Luftwaffe, including the Officer’s brocade dress belt. Originally the brocade belt was worn with the circular, DLV political style, belt buckle until the Luftwaffe Officers belt buckle was introduced on May 20^TH 1935. The brocade belt and the new style belt buckle were for wear by Officers when in parade, or formal dress and service dress when full decoration were ordered. The new Officer’s belt buckle was produced in two, slightly different versions with the first version featuring the early, "droop tailed" pattern Luftwaffe eagle, (Circa 1934-1936/37), while the later version featured the second pattern, flare-tailed Luftwaffe eagle, (Circa 1936/37-1945). 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. Regulations of February 12^TH 1940 discontinued wear of the brocade belt and buckle but it was still worn on formal occasions when ordered. Officers ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniform items, including the brocade belt and buckle, and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the Luftwaffe’s Verkaufsabteilung, (Air-Force Sales Department), system. The Officers could choose to purchase their items from the armed forces clothing depots or to privately purchase items of higher quality.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Die struck, aluminum and tombac alloy construction belt buckle with silver washed and fire gilted finishes. The horizontally oval, buckle features an embossed, oak-leave wreath to the outside edge encompassing a slightly domed, pebbled field, with a separate, fire gilted, second pattern, (Circa 1936/1937-1945), Luftwaffe style eagle clutching a canted swastika in one talon to the center. The eagle is secured to the buckle by three, small, dome headed rivets which are visible on the reverse. The buckle retains over 95% of its frosty silver wash while the eagle retains about 65% of its fire gilted finish with spots of wear to the base tombac. The eagle stands out in nice high relief with a strong contrast to the buckle. The reverse of the buckle is a mirror image of the obverse excluding the separately attached eagle and has inserted aluminum panel secured by the crimped outer edge of the buckle with a central cut-out and a crimped buckle catch and closed looped, buckle bar retaining catch. Also included is the open rectangular, aluminum, buckle retaining bar. The reverse of the buckle is well marked with the impressed manufacturer’s initial/logo consisting of a stylized, "A", indicating manufacture by F. W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $285.00