Original German WWII SS EM/NCO Painted Steel Belt Buckle by RODO Robert C. Dold with Repaired Catch - Schutzstaffel

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice condition WWII German Schutzstaffel (SS) EM/NCO's Steel Painted Belt Buckle (Koppelschloß). It is embossed with a high relief, embossed, central motif pattern consisting of an SS style national eagle with out-stretched wings, clutching a wreath, encompassing a static swas. The swas and wreath are in turn encompassed by a circular, simulated, twisted rope border with the Gothic script motto, Meine Ehre heißt Treue!, (My Honor is Loyalty!) on a pebbled background.

The original blue gray paint on the buckle still mostly present, showing wear on the raised areas of the design and on the corners. The reverse retains the paint very well, though there are areas where the catch loop used to be, which must not have been attached well, and tore off. To repair this, a metal bar was installed across the buckle in that location to serve as a catch. The original size adjustment claw is present and fully functional.

The rear of the buckle by the clasp loop is marked RODO, for maker Robert C. Dold of Offenburg. The Steel construction indicates construction after 1940, when the switch was made from aluminum to steel.

A lovely SS belt buckle with the paint well retained, wartime repaired for further service. Ready to display!

History of the SS

The Allgemeine-SS, (General-SS), was originally formed in May 1923 under the auspices of the SA, Sturmabteilung, (Storm/Assault Detachment), as the Stosstrupp Adolf AH (Shock Troops). It was then redesignated Schutzstaffel, (Protection Squad), in April 1925, with the official acceptance of the name verified on the second anniversary of the failed Munich "Beer-Hall" Putsch on November 9th 1925.

As a subordinate unit to the SA, early SS personnel wore the standard SA style box belt buckle. It is believed that Adolf AH personally designed a new pattern box belt buckle specifically for wear by SS EM/NCO personnel with the manufacturing patent being originally granted to the Overhoff & Cie. firm in Lüdenscheid. This new style buckle was adopted for wear by EM/NCO personnel in late 1931 or early 1932. Generally the early buckles were produced in solid nickel/silver until sometime in 1936 when aluminum alloys replaced the nickel/silver versions. In 1940 the EM/NCO's belt buckles began to be manufactured in steel replacing the aluminum alloy buckles. The steel buckles were zinc coated than painted grey.

The RZM, Reichzeugmeisterei, (National Equipment Quartermaster), was officially founded in June 1934 in Munich by the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker's Party), as a Reich Hauptamt, (State Central Office), and was based on the earlier SA Quartermaster's Department. The functions of the RZM were not only to procure and distribute items to Party formations, but also to approve chosen designs and to act as a quality control supervisor to ensure items manufactured for the Party met required specification and were standardized. Starting in late 1934 items manufactured for the SS came under the quality control of the RZM and as a result were to be marked with the RZM/SS approval/acceptance mark. In 1943 the Waffen-SS assumed full control over their uniform item production and no longer fell under the authority of the RZM.