Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very rare totally genuine WWII Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK) Heer Army EM/NCO's Steel Painted Belt Buckle (Koppelschloß), which is in great condition. The buckle is die-stamped steel (magnetic), with a lovely DAK Olive Green finish. The front of the buckle is embossed with Wehrmacht eagle and motto GOTT MIT UNS (God With Us). It shows only light wear to the paint on the front, with just a few areas worn through, particularly on the eagle and motto. There is also some wear around the edges, but there is nothing out of line with light service in the field.

The the reverse of the buckle is nicely stamped with maker mark R. S. & S., for R. Sieper & Söhne of Lüdenscheid, Germany, a city with a very large garment accessories industry. It looks like this belt buckle may have originally had a leather tab, however the tropical climate was very hard on leather, so it most likely fell off long ago during service.

Overall a great example of a very rare belt 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.