Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Luftwaffe EM/NCO steel belt buckle, or Koppelschloß, complete with its original 1939 dated leather tab by Berg & Nolte A.G. of Lüdenscheid. The buckle is particularly desirable for its clearly marked leather tab, which also bears an early L.B.A. acceptance stamp for the Luftwaffebekleidungsamt, or Luftwaffe Clothing Office.

The buckle is of die stamped steel construction and features the wartime Luftwaffe straight tail eagle with outstretched wings, set on a pebbled field within a laurel leaf wreath. The embossed details remain sharp and well defined throughout.

The painted finish is in excellent condition overall, showing only light wear to the obverse. There is no significant chipping through the paint, and the raised details remain strongly preserved.

The buckle body itself is not visibly maker marked, but the attached leather tab carries the manufacturer and date information stamped sideways into the leather:

BERG u. NOLTE A.G.
1939
LÜDENSCHEID

Above this is the additional acceptance marking:

L.B.A.

for Luftwaffebekleidungsamt, the Luftwaffe Clothing Office responsible for the acceptance and distribution of uniform and equipment items. This type of LBA marking is associated with prewar and early wartime Luftwaffe equipment and is a particularly appealing feature on a dated buckle tab.

The leather tab remains in very good condition and has matured to an attractive chestnut brown color. The original stitching has mostly deteriorated from age, and the attachment was stabilized at some point in the past with leather glue.

With its excellent painted steel buckle, sharp Luftwaffe eagle and wreath detail, original 1939 dated Berg & Nolte leather tab, and desirable L.B.A. acceptance marking, this is a particularly attractive early war Luftwaffe belt buckle. The light paint wear, age related stitching loss, and old leather glue stabilization are all fully disclosed. It would display especially well in a Luftwaffe EM/NCO equipment, Berg & Nolte maker, early war field gear, or advanced German WWII belt buckle collection.

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.