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 lightly 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 With Us). Over 75% of the original paint remains on the front of the buckle, while the back has almost all of the paint intact. IT does show some light wear, and the buckle itself is slightl bent. The inside of the buckle is also marked Dr. F. & Co. / 1940 for Dr. Franke & Co., located in of Lüdenscheid, a city with a large garment accessories industry.

The DAK tan colored web belt has a brown leather tab with the usual seven double vertically holes for length adjustment. The brown end stitching is mostly intact, and the belt measures 30 1/2 inches in overall length. It also is marked with size 80 (cm), which is about 31.5 inches, so it may have shrunk a tad. The webbing is in almost unissued condition, with no staining, tears, etc. There are some faded markings near the clip end, but they are illegible.

Overall a fantastic 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.