Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very rare totally genuine WWII Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK) tropical waist belt, with correct Luftwaffe EM/NCO's Steel Painted Belt Buckle (Koppelschloß). It is embossed with the wartime Luftwaffe straight tail eagle on a pebbled central field, surrounded by a laurel leaf wreath. The buckle is of 1940 pattern, die stamped, steel (magnetic) construction, with a DAK Olive Tan painted finish, which is still present on about 75% of the front side, with a wear and oxidation on the raised areas. The reverse has even more original paint present, and there are no markings stamped into the metal. We did notice that the securing claw is aluminum, so this was probably made using some parts left over from the earliest pattern of buckles.

The DAK tan colored web belt has a brown leather tab with the usual double rows of seven holes for length adjustment, with the leather displaying a lovely chestnut brown color and wrinkling to the finish. The belt shows moderate wear overall with light staining, and the buckle end has leather trim stitched on the cut end to prevent fraying. The belt is marked with 100 on the buckle end, for 100cm (39.4in.), however the belt measures 36 inches long, and was definitely reduced in length from the clip end and-restitched.

Overall a lovely example of a very rare belt and buckle from the Luftwaffe division of the Deutsches Afrikakorps, DAK!

History of the German Africa Corps

The Afrikakorps or German Africa Corps (German: Deutsches Afrikakorps, 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.