Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very rare totally genuine WWII Deutsches Afrikakorps (German Africa corps or DAK) tropical EM/NCO's Steel Painted Belt Buckle (Koppelschloß) with web pull tab. Nice solid used originals such as this example are very hard to come by. The Buckle is die-stamped steel (magnetic), with an olive drab finish. The front of the buckle is embossed with Wehrmacht eagle and motto GOTT MIT UNS (God [is] With Us) in German Black Letter Typeface. About 75% of the original paint remains on the front and back of the buckle, with some missing paint on the wear points. There is also some dried dirt on the reverse, possibly direct from Africa! The olive drab pull tab is very nice, with intact stitching and moderate wear. It is the correct darker green with tan stitching.

The inside of the buckle has a maker mark, which appears to be a B and D overlayed. We unfortunately have not been able to identify this maker, however this is definitely the genuine article.

Overall a fantastic 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 (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.