Waffen SS Buckle

Product Description: This Waffen SS Buckle is the wartime steel example, worn by enlisted soldiers and NCOs, between 1940 and 1945. The obverse retains lots of detail, though it does show some wear to high points. There is no paint on the front. There are some spots of powdery, red surface oxidation, which we have made no attempt to clean. Most of the surface on the front of the buckle is quite shiny. The reverse of this Waffen SS buckle retains nearly all of the original finish, a silver paint known to buckle collectors as “radiator paint.” The catch is spot welded, as is typical and correct; the roller and prong assembly is complete, textbook, and functional. No manufacturer marking is evident. This remains a solid and very displayable example of the desirable Waffen SS buckle.

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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