Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice service worn WWII German Wehrmacht Heer (Army) EM/NCO’s Belt with Steel Buckle (Koppelschloß). The buckle is embossed with the Heer motto GOTT MIT UNS (“God with us”) surrounding a NSDAP Party Eagle. Nice fieldgrey painted steel construction box buckle with a smooth background. The buckle is in good condition, though much of the paint is worn off, and it looks like the buckle was repainted at some time, and the paint wore off again. Definitely a buckle that saw extensive service.
The buckle still retains it’s leather tab, so the maker can not be read, just the location and date:
LÜDENSCHEID
1940
There were numerous buckle and clothing accessory makers in Lüdenscheid, so unfortunately there is no way to know which company made this buckle.
The black leather belt measures 37” when fully extended, and has even more history than the buckle! It is marked on the leather with:
L.Z.A.
(Eagle Logo)
Offenbach (?)
The L.Z.A. abbreviation is short for the Leder Zuweisungs Amt (Leather Allocation Office), which was founded in 1917 during WWI, and then disbanded after the war in 1919. So, this is definitely a WWI Period belt, pressed back into service during WWII. The belt shows its age, with cracking in the finish. The tab for the buckle was replaced at some time, and the belt may have been shortened.
This piece has loads of history, and would be a great addition to any German WWII collection!