Original German Cold War Era East German National People’s Army NVA General Officer’s Brocade Belt With Buckle – Nationale Volksarmee Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Many uniform traditions of the Wehrmacht lived on in the then newly created NVA. The tunics and headgear of the NVA were piped in various Waffenfarben, embroidered bullion tunic and hat insignia for officers and generals, the basic design of shoulder boards and collar tabs, helmet decals and the wearing of dress daggers after 1961. Uniforms, headgear and insignia produced during the early years of the NVA (1956-1965) rival their 3rd Reich counterparts in terms of quality, rarity and appearance. Uniforms and headgear could either be obtained through standard military supply channels or through civilian tailor shops. Tunics and trousers could be purchased off the shelf and then tailored to fit or completely custom made from scratch. Even enlisted ranks had the opportunity to purchase tailor-made, officer quality uniforms and caps for formal occasions. Just like WWII uniforms, numerous small variations in insignia and uniform color as well as design can be observed.

As time went on, the East Germans continually sought to standardize and streamline production methods and to cut costs. Bullion embroidery was replaced with stamped metal, headgear and tunic piping was standardized to white for all branches of the Army (for ranks below general), uniforms were manufactured under standard conditions and in a greater variety of sizes in order to accommodate more people with “off the shelf” fit, and the dark collar tunic was replaced with an open collar design. One thing that did not change was that generals in the NVA continued to wear custom tailored uniforms crafted from superior materials and workmanship.

The number of Generals in the NVA is just a fraction of the number of Generals in the Wehrmacht. Throughout the entire history of the NVA (1956 – 1990), there were only about 250 Admirals and Generals from all branches of service. The majority of these did not attain the rank until after 1965, thus the number of Generals and Admirals in the first 10 years or so of the NVA is very small indeed. The uniforms and insignia from this time period are exceedingly rare, much more so than their Wehrmacht counterparts.

This is a very nice East German Army General Officer’s Bullion Dress Brocade Belt, with an attached buckle. These belts were worn with the dress uniform for ceremonial occasions, and were standard issue to all officers with their dress uniform.

The belt is a die struck/stamped, aluminum alloy based construction that has been gold washed. It depicts the national emblem of East Germany on a pebbled background which features a hammer and a compass, surrounded by a ring of rye. It was an example of what has been called “socialist heraldry”. It was the only heraldic device of a European socialist state with a ring of grain which does not contain a red star. The buckle is attached by a double square ring to a long quality woven bright gold and gray construction brocade belt. The belt pattern has two horizontal gray lines, and the two sliding vertical loops have the same pattern.

The belt itself measures about 42” when fully extended, and is not marked on the buckle or anywhere else.The buckle is in fantastic shape, with minimal wear, and clear frosting, and the opposing clasp is just as nice. The belt and sliders are in equally nice condition, as shown, though there is a bit of mothing on the felt wool backing to the sliders.

A lovely example ready for display.