At the outset of the war, the Luftwaffe was one of the most modern, powerful, and experienced air forces in the world, dominating the skies over Europe with aircraft much more advanced than their foreign counterparts. The Luftwaffe was central to the German Blitzkrieg (lightning war) doctrine, as the close air support provided by various medium two-engine bombers, Stuka dive bombers and an overwhelming force of tactical fighters were key to several early successes.

This is a German belt buckle. As manufactured during World War Two. Issued to officers.

The design consists of an oval shape. Of steel construction. The perimeter of the front is lined with a wide wreath tied at the bottom with a bow. The are inside of the wreath is heavily pebbled. Very sharp pebbles. Nice and deep. A flying Luftwaffe eagle is placed in the center. It is clutching a swastika with one claw and holding the other one up in the air. The tail is drooping indicating an early war eagle.

The back of the buckle is hollowed type. The catch is very wide and integrated to the body of the buckle. The structure that secured the buckle to the belt is attached via the use of a "U" shape bracket.

The two rivets that secure the front eagle to the body are visible. It is important to know that the position of the rivets may vary from example to example.

The belt buckles of the Third Reich came in a variety of designs. There were over 100 different types developed. Even the non-military belt buckles often displayed the swastika as a means to show support of the Nazi party.

The high quality and intricate designs have made the German belt buckles of World War Two a desirable military collectible.

This belt buckle retains most of the original guilding. A high quality very nicely crafted piece. A very clear example of the attention to detail that made the German military items so attracive to collectors.

This belt buckle may currently be reproduced. It is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because the quality of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of this buckle. Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of the belt buckle.

If you have an interest is seeing other belt buckles of the Third Reich, you can do so by going to our WWII German Belt Buckles identification guide. Where we cover Heer (Army), Navy (Kriegsmarine), Air Force (Luftwaffe), political and civilian buckles.