Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very rare totally genuine WWII Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK) tropical waist belt with correct EM/NCO's Steel Painted Belt Buckle (Koppelschloß). Nice used originals such as this example are very hard to come by, as they tend to be either unissued, or heavily worn.

The buckle is die-stamped steel (magnetic), with a satin olive drab finish. The front of the buckle is embossed with a closed wing Wehrmachtadler eagle, surrounded by a double rope border with a ribbed background. Inside the border is an Oak Leaf wreath at the bottom, and the top has the German motto GOTT MIT UNS (God With Us). Over 75% of the original paint remains on the front of the buckle, with wear on the raised areas, while the back has a bit more of the paint intact. There is no maker marking stamped into the buckle, however it still still retains the aged leather tab, which is marked:

The DAK tan colored web belt has a brown leather tab with the usual seven double vertically holes for length adjustment, which shows some age and cracking. The blue gray end stitching is mostly intact on both ends, and the belt measures 36 1/2 inches in overall length. It also is marked with size 95 (cm), which is about 37.4 inches, so it may have shrunk a tad. The webbing is in excellent condition, with no major staining, tears, etc., just light overall wear. There is an RBNr. stamped near the clip end, which looks to read 0/0564/0005.

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

History of the German Africa Corps

The Afrika Korps 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.