Original OUTSTANDING VERY RARE German Third Reich LUFTSCHUTZ EM/NCO’S BELT BUCKLE. (Koppelschloß) Certified

Original OUTSTANDING VERY RARE German Third Reich LUFTSCHUTZ EM/NCO’S BELT BUCKLE. (Koppelschloß) Certified  Formed in late 1932 the Deutscher Luftschutzverband, (German Air Protection League), was a voluntary organization designed to provide civil air raid protection in large civilian centers. Shortly after Hitler ascension to power the Deutscher Luftschutzverband was restructured and placed under the supervision of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium, (National Air Ministry), under the control of Hermann Göring. On April 29TH 1933 the Deutscher Luftschutzverband was renamed RLB, Reichs Luftschutz Bund, (National Air Raid Protection League) and was given status as an official national organization tasked with all aspects of civil air raid defence. The RLB remained a voluntary organization with a small cadre of paid, full-time, uniformed officials to oversee the organizations functions until June 1935 when obligatory service was introduced. Only the most basic uniform and equipment items were supplied to the cadre personnel, with the rest having to be bought personally by members.

RLB uniform regulations were first addressed in 1933 and included a box belt buckle and a blackened leather belt for all EM/NCO ranks. The first pattern, (Circa 1933), belt buckle was replaced with a second pattern in May 1937 and in January 1939 a third and final pattern EM/NCO’s belt buckle was introduced. Although the newer belt buckles were intended to replace the earlier patterns all three were worn through-out the war. Of Note: All three RLB EM/NCO’s belt buckles were also worn by enlisted personnel serving with the SHD, Sicherheits und Hilfdienst, (Security and Assistance Service), and the Wasserstrassenbeamten, (Canal and Waterways Officials).  Second pattern, (Circa May 1937-January 1939), die stamped, steel construction, box belt buckle with a matte silver/grey finish. The buckle features a smooth, outer field with a high relief, embossed Luftschutz emblem to the center. The Luftschutz emblem consists of stylized, outstretched wings with a central oak-leaf cluster with a canted swastika to the bottom and a scripted banner, “Luftschutz”, to the top. The reverse of the buckle is a mirror image of the obverse. The reverse has the brazed buckle catch, the prong bar and the prongs all intact.  Typical slight  storage wear, Complete museum documentation (COA) Provided. Certified by The Gettysburg Museum of History. 100% guaranteed to be authentic. The Gettysburg Museum of History does not support or condone Adolf Hitler or the Nazi Party and is only offering this as a historic relic. Please see our other items.    Also note when browsing our web site there are several pages of items, at the bottom of the list look for other page numbers. DO NOT MISS THIS OUTSTANDING RARE EXAMPLE!