Original WWII German Luftwaffe (Airforce) EM/NCO’S BELT & BELT BUCKLE. (Koppel und Koppelschloß) Brought Home By A U.S. Veteran Certified

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Original WWII German Luftwaffe (Airforce) EM/NCO’S BELT & BELT BUCKLE. (Koppel und Koppelschloß) Brought Home By A U.S. Veteran Certified. 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. First introduced on May 20TH 1935, the Luftwaffe EM/NCO’s belt buckle underwent minor modifications in late 1937 or early 1938 with a new pattern eagle and again in 1940 with a slight difference in construction. Of Note: Luftwaffe personnel initially utilized brown leather accoutrements but during the war the leather items were generally blackened. 1938 pattern, bright, injection molded, natural aluminum construction box buckle features a pebbled outer field with a central, embossed, high relief, horizontally oval laurel leaf wreath encompassing a slightly domed, pebbled inner field with embossed second pattern, (circa 1937/38-1945), Luftwaffe eagle to the center. The eagle shows moderate chafe wear which has resulted in a loss of detailing. The reverse of the buckle is a mirror image of the obverse excluding the inner pebbled field. The reverse has the integral, raised, slotted buckle catch and separate prong bar and prongs all intact. The reverse of the buckle is well marked with the embossed manufacturers initials and date, “H. A. 39”, and emossed into the leather tab is the maker name indicating manufacture by H. Aurich in Dresden made  in 1939. Comes with a black leather EM/NCO belt. Belt has indication of pins being placed on it by the US veteran who brought it home to form A “hate belt””. Super nice set, scarce maker on the buckle. Nice clean belt. Shows the expected age, wear and use.  In good but used condition . Gettysburg Museum Certified (COA) provided. 100% Guaranteed to be authentic brought home by a U.S. Veteran. Sold for historic purposes only. See our other pieces on our web site. Also note when browsing our web site there are several pages of items, at the bottom of the list look for other page numbers.