Original German WWII EM/NCO Luftwaffe Paratrooper Pebbled “Droop Tail” Eagle Aluminum Buckle with Leather Belt Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice Pre-WWII German Wehrmacht Luftwaffe EM/NCO’s Pebbled Aluminum Belt Buckle (Koppelschloß), with the correct leather belt. The buckle is embossed with an early pattern “Droop Tail” Luftwaffe Eagle inside a laurel wreath on the front. Only the earliest Luftwaffe material was marked with this eagle, which later had a tail that extended out more to the left. It is the standard stamped aluminum “box” pattern with a pebbled texture on the front, with the insignia die struck into the front. The buckle is in very good condition, with the pebbling very well retained, and most of the detail in the eagle present, which is definitely a rarity! There is no maker marking on the buckle itself, so we assume it originally had a marking on the leather tab, which is now missing. It features a very sturdy retention loop on the reverse, which we have heard were favored by Fallschirmjäger Paratroopers.

The belt itself measures about 36” from end to end, made from thick leather with the standard leather tab with 7 pairs of holes attached to it for size adjustment. It is marked on the buckle end with 80, for 80cm (31.5inches), so it probably stretched quite a bit during its service life. The belt is in very good shape, showing a good amount of service, and is somewhat stiff due to age. The finish has a lovely patina from use that is simply impossible to duplicate. It has an early war aluminum clip marked with OLC in a diamond, for Overhoff & Cie. of Lüdenscheid, who produced numerous clothing accessories, especially belt hardware.

Overall a very good example of a hard to find early pattern named WWII German Belt and buckle. Ready to research and display!

The Luftwaffe, the air force of the German military during the Third Reich, was established in 1935. Over the next 10 years, Luftwaffe troops wore a huge variety of uniforms. Enlisted men generally wore uniforms issued from military depots. Most enlisted soldiers had wool trousers and a short jacket with two internal lower pockets, called a Fliegerbluse, as well as a dressier 4-pocket tunic, the Tuchrock. Officers wore the same general uniform styles, but as officers had to supply their own uniforms, they usually wore tailor made versions. There were also myriad varieties of specialized uniforms worn by certain units or in specific situations, from the tuxedo-style “gala” formal wear uniform of the pre-war period, to the plain coveralls worn by crews of anti-aircraft cannons. There were work uniforms, tropical and summer uniforms, and camouflage clothing for airborne troops and other Luftwaffe soldiers in ground combat. Flight crews had their own specialized gear, including leather jackets and warm, electrically heated suits. Most but not all Luftwaffe uniform jackets bore the Luftwaffe emblem of a flying eagle holding a swas.