Luftwaffe Aluminum Buckle – Leather Tab

Product Description: This fantastic prewar Luftwaffe Aluminum Buckle – Leather Tab is in near mint condition. It has never been easy to find early buckles in this fine shape, and they continue to get harder to find. It is an enlisted/NCO type buckle, and it never had any paint. It is pristine, front and back; there appears to be some wear to the eagle on the front but the pebbling is perfect and there are no scratches or other damage. It is beautiful. The catch and prongs on the reverse are complete and functional. This Luftwaffe aluminum buckle is complete with its original brown leather tab, which shows only very slight age. The tab is maker marked “L. Gottlieb & Söhne, Oberstein” and is dated 1939. This is an outstanding and extremely well-preserved example of a Luftwaffe Aluminum Buckle – Leather Tab, that would be a great addition to any buckle collection. 

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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