Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very rare totally genuine very good condition WWII Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK) tropical waist belt with correct service worn EM/NCO's Steel Belt Buckle (Koppelschloß). The buckle is embossed with the Heer motto GOT MIT UNS ("God with us") surrounding a NSDAP Party Eagle. The buckle a nice 1940 pattern green painted steel construction box buckle with a smooth background. Much of the paint has worn off the buckle exterior, giving the buckle a nice patina from honest wear. The rear still shows a lot of the original green finish. A great service worn example that has really been there!

There is no marking stamped into the metal of the buckle, however it still retains the leather tab, which still has a legible maker mark on the reverse:

BRÜDER SCHNEIDER A.G.
1940
WIEN

The very good condition DAK olive colored web belt has a black leather tab with the usual double row of seven holes for length adjustment, which is a bit stiff due to age. The green end stitching on both ends is still in great shape, and the belt measures 32 1/2 inches in overall length. It is stamped with LBA-44 near the steel end clip, which would indicate that that it was produced in 1944. This usually would be a Luftwaffe marking, however by 1944 items were no longer issued with this marking, so we leave this as a great research opportunity.

Overall a great example of a very rare belt and used buckle from the Deutsches Afrikakorps, DAK!

History of the German Africa Corps
The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (Deutsches Afrikakorps or DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of their African colonies, the formation fought on in Africa, under various appellations, from March 1941 until its surrender in May 1943. The unit's best known commander was Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.

The dry climate of Africa proved to be an issue with much of the standard leather field gear that the German Army usually used. It would dry out and crack quickly, and become unusable. To deal with this, the standard field gear such as belts, Y-straps, A-frames, bayonet frogs, and other items, were issued in special tropical web versions.