Original German WWII Heer Army EM/NCO Belt with Steel Buckle by E. Schneider, Two K98 Pouches, and M31 Aluminum Canteen

Original Items: Only One Set Available. Here we have a great WWII German Heer (Army) EM/NCO field gear set, consisting of a waist belt & buckle, a pair of K98 ammunition pouches, and an M31 aluminum canteen rig. This made up a good amount of the standard equipment for a Heer soldier, and it would usually be attached to a set of Y-straps to help hold the heavy belt with loaded ammo pouches up, as well as provide a place to clip the canteen to. This set looks to have seen light to moderate use during the war.

This Set Includes:
- EM/NCO Belt with Steel Belt Buckle by E. Schneider: This is a very good condition WWII German Wehrmacht (Heer) steel EM/NCO's Belt Buckle (Koppelschloß), with the correct leather belt. The buckle is embossed with the Heer motto GOTT MIT UNS ("God (is) with us") around the Wehrmachtadler (Armed Forces Eagle). Nice steel construction stamped and painted box buckle. The buckle is in good service used condition, having lost most of the olive paint on the front, which now displays a lovely oxidized patina. The rear has much more present, probably 75% retained, and is marked with E S / L surrounding 40 by the clasp loop, for 1941 manufacture by E. Schneider of Lüdenscheid.

The black leather belt is in very good service used condition, with the finish well retained, though it definitely shows some wear and staining from use. There is an area near the end clip that shows some cracking, right where the ammo pouch is. We were not able to see any markings, however we measured the belt, and the total length is approximately 41 inches.

- Mauser 98k Ammunition Pouches (Pair): This is a nice service used pair of 98k "triple" ammunition pouches, each made from pebbled grained leather. These were designed to hold two loaded 98K stripper clips in each pocket, and both still have all the separators and straps present and functional. The left side pouch is an early war example, and was originally produced in brown, with the front later refinished in black. It is maker marked and dated 1937 on the back. It has early war aluminum rivets and other hardware, and still retains the original shape well.

The right side pouch shows more wear, and is definitely a bit squashed from service. It is a later war example with all steel hardware, which shows some oxidation. It is maker marked on the back and dated 1941. Most likely this set was assembled later in the war, when shortages meant that every piece of equipment was valuable.

- M31 Aluminum Canteen Rig with Cup and Harness. This is a very nice example of a German WWII Issue M31 canteen water bottle rig, showing some great period wear. Referred to in German as the Feldflasche Modell 1931 (Field bottle model 1931), these are usually found made of aluminum, like this example. The set comes with a bakelite screw top cap, a genuine wool cover with four snaps, and a aluminum cup. We checked the cover, and it is not maker marked, but does have snaps by WWII supplier STOCKO. This is held together by the standard black leather belt harness, with a Patent Ritter marked spring clip on the back.

The canteen itself is stamped on the neck with FWBN41, for 1941 manufacture by F.W. Brockelmann Aluminiumwerk GmbH KG, Neheim/Ruhr, and the aluminum cup is marked RFI41 for 1941 manufacture by Rudolf Fissler GmbH, Idar-Oberstein. The top cap still has the rubber sealing washer, though it is degraded and definitely does not hold water anymore. Overall condition is very good, with the leather in good shape, and only the cup shows extensive service wear.

A perfect EM/NCO belt setup that is ready for display as is, or to pair with a uniform on a torso mannequin.