German WWI Brown Leather Belt with Prussian Brass and Nickel Gott Mit Uns Buckle New Made Items

New Made Item: Standard issue brown leather belt for the German Great War Soldier. Worn with both garrison and combat equipment. These fine quality reproductions are copied directly from originals in the IMA collection.

The belt is constructed of genuine top-grain brown leather finished on both sides and complete with authentic heavy linen stitching. Prussian WWI belt buckle has been struck from dies created through copying originals in the IMA collection. These buckles are well crafted and authentic down to small details. Constructed of real Brass buckle with nickel ?Gott Mit Uns? (God is with us) crest. Known as a field buckle or Koppelschloss

Specifications-

Width: 1.75 Inches (4.5cm)

Thickness: 3-4mm

Designed to be worn over the tunic and sits high up on the waist (not down by the hips) please order at least 2-4 inches more than your actual waist size. Belts are adjustable approximately 2.5 inches in either direction.

History of German World War I Belt buckles-

German belt buckles remained largely unchanged for over a hundred years spanning the 19th and 20th centuries. Although there were modest changes, the basic manufacture did not change until the Great War. War time would have seen three primary variations of buckles. The first was the standard 1895 model. This model is easily distinguished by its brass body and soldered nickel/silver roundel, which would bear the insignia and motto of the German state for whom it was made. Those states using a roundel were as follows:

Prussia – Gott Mit Uns (God is With Uns)

Bavaria – In Treue Fest (In True Faith)

Wurttemberg – Furcthlos und Treu (Fearless and Loyal)

Saxony – Providentiae Memor (Providence in Mind)

Other smaller states had their own unique buckles that did not use a roundel, such as Hessia. The 1895 buckles saw action primarily at the beginning of the war (although some certainly would have been used throughout). It was decided in 1915 to change the manufacture. The reason was two fold, to do away with the bright brass on the battlefield, and to ration precious resources. In 1915, steel buckles were introduced. During 1915, the bodies were made out of steel, but soldered roundels were still applied. In 1916, it was decided to simply stamp the entire buckle out of one piece of steel and do away with the roundels altogether. The steel buckles were typically painted with grey field paint to prevent any shine. Belt buckles were occasionally makers marked and dated. It is also possible to find them with regimental markings. For the most part, dated and marked examples are brass models and are most commonly seen on Saxon buckles.