Fire Defense Belt Buckle

Product Description: This Fire Defense Belt Buckle is a very nice two-piece private purchase style, likely made in the 1930s. The roundel on the obverse depicts a shield with a leaping horse, surmounted by a crown, enclosed within a round wreath of laurel leaves. The exact organization that used this emblem has not yet been identified. This buckle shows virtually no wear to the obverse, and all of the original detail is intact. The bare aluminum is clean and pristine. On the reverse, there is no maker mark, which is not unusual for these. The prongs for the roundel are all intact. The integral catch and roller bar and prongs are intact and functional. There is a bit of old tape residue on the reverse. This Fire Defense Belt Buckle would be hard to upgrade, and remains in excellent plus condition.

Historical Description: The belt buckle was an important part of the regalia worn by all uniformed military, civil, political, and paramilitary organizations during the Third Reich. The belt (“Koppel”) was part of the uniform and would always be worn while on duty. The belt buckle (“Koppelschloss”) was generally specific to each organization, with many organizations having separate belt buckles for officers and for enlisted personnel, sometimes with different colors and finishes to further denote specific purposes. The buckles were adorned with various mottos and designs specific to the organizations for which they were intended. Many designs used the German national eagle emblem, in a variety of forms. Belt buckles were worn with uniforms ranging from finely tailored officer parade uniforms, to the issue uniforms of enlisted soldiers in combat. Generally speaking, most German belt buckles of the Third Reich were made with two prongs on the reverse, to allow the buckle to be worn and adjusted on a belt. The buckle had a catch that would mate with a hook on the belt, when worn. The earliest Third Reich buckles were often made of brass, or nickel silver. Later, aluminum became very common, and was used on private purchase as well as enlisted buckles of the German military, with or without a painted or plated finish. After WWII began, most enlisted military buckles were steel. Nazi belt buckles were popular souvenirs for Allied troops who served in Europe. Some types were made by the millions and remain quite common today. Others were made in limited numbers and are very rare.

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