Description
Product Description: This Hitler Youth Buckle is a hard to find and desirable unissued example. It is a wartime produced piece, made of steel. The surface still retains virtually all of the original, factory applied, silver “radiator” paint. The obverse shows only a few scattered very small marks to the paint. All of the original detail is present on the Hitlerjugend motto and eagle emblem. The construction on the reverse is typical, with a functional roller bar and prongs assembly that is all steel, and a spot welded catch for the hook on the belt. The reverse paint is virtually perfect. The catch still retains the original paper RZM tag that was affixed at the factory. The tag is printed in red ink, with the diamond Hitler Youth emblem as well as the round RZM symbol, and is serial numbered as well as being stamped with the maker code “M4/79” indicating manufacture by the firm of Hillenbrand & Bröer in Lüdenscheid. This choice Hitler Youth buckle has a factory fresh look that displays very nicely. It is in outstanding, excellent/near mint condition.
Historical Description: The belt buckle (“Koppelschloss”) 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 was typically specific to each organization, with many organizations having separate belt buckle designs for officers and for enlisted personnel respectively, sometimes with different colors and finishes to further denote specific purposes. The buckles featured various mottos and designs specific to the organizations for which they were intended. Many designs used the German national eagle emblem, in a wide variety of forms. Belt buckles were worn with uniforms ranging from finely tailored officer parade uniforms to the standard issued uniforms of enlisted soldiers in combat. Most German belt buckles of the Third Reich took the same functionality as their Imperial predecessors and 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 attach the metal hook on the belt. 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. With most uniforms, the belt and buckle were always worn when the wearer was on duty. The belts were made of brown, black, and natural leather, with sewn or riveted hooks made of aluminum or steel, depending on the pattern of the belt and the era in which it was made. There were also belts made of cotton webbing, intended for tropical use. Officer belts were often different; many types of officers wore the “Zweidornkoppel” belt with buckle featuring two permanently affixed prongs, while other uniforms or organizations called for a leather belt that was like the enlisted pattern, but wider, to accommodate the officer-specific buckles. 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 now quite scarce.
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