Rare Aluminum Heer Buckle by Lehmann & Wundenberg, Hannover

Product Description: This rare Aluminum Heer Buckle by Lehmann & Wundenberg, Hannover is a really choice example, in a strong excellent condition. This maker is one of the rarest Heer buckles to find! The front of this great early buckle is outstanding, with about 85 percent of the original pre-war style light Feldgrau factory paint still intact. It shows only extremely minor wear, and still retains excellent original detail. The reverse of this rare Aluminum Heer buckle is also really nice, with nearly all of the original paint. The construction is textbook, all-aluminum, with an integral catch for the belt hook. The roller bar and prongs assembly retains the original, undyed leather tab, still held in place with all of the original stitching. The tab is nicely maker marked “Lehmann & Wundenberg, Hannover” and dated 1940 (the last year of manufacture for these aluminum Army buckles). This is easily one of the rarest Heer buckles I have ever had to offer, and would likely be impossible to upgrade.

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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