Original German WWII Unissued SA Leaders Brocade Dress Belt without Buckle - Sturmabteilung

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice unissued German WWII Sturmabteilung (SA) Leader's Brocade Dress belt, which was never fitted with a buckle or end ring. These were worn by leader / officer ranks of the SA during dress occasions, much like those of the armed forces. The belt features a yellow / gold exterior with dark brown stripes, and the body and rear is light brown plush material. For more information please see Belt Buckles & Brocades of the Third Reich by John R. Angolia, pages 57-58.

One end of the belt has a leather size adjustment tab with a double row of 9 holes for the claw on the buckle, while the other end was never sewn over around the ring for the buckle hook, and is loose. The belt most likely has a leather or rubberized fabric interior support, which has gotten stiff from age, and it has been stored folded up for a long period of time, which has made the folds permanent. It also shows some staining and discoloration on both sides from long service, and we can see a few tears on the interior from the interior support cracking. The belt measures about 39 inches from one end to the last set of holes, and it is marked 100 on the end of the adjustment tab. for 100cm (39.3 inches).

Overall a great example of a hard to find WW2 German Belt.

The SA, "Sturmabteilung" (Storm-troops), were originally formed in August of 1921 as a protective guard unit for the political leaders of the fledgling NSDAP Party. As with the NSDAP, "Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei" (National-socialist German Worker’s-party), the SA was structured along para-military lines. Most of its recruits were from the ranks of the various "Freikorps" groups of the day, composed mainly of disgruntled ex-soldiers, and they were first utilized at a NSDAP party meeting in Munich in November of 1921.

The SA pattern box buckle was the first belt buckle to be introduced by the NSDAP, with its estimated introductory dates ranging between 1921 and 1923. On its introduction it was not fully standardized and came in at least five variations. The SA pattern buckle was originally worn by other NSDAP organizations including the SS, the NSKK, the NSBO, and political leaders

Unfortunately, the ambition and socialist leanings of the SA eventually came into conflict with the goals of the rest of the party, and in 1934 the group leadership was purged, and by 1936 the buckle was officially replaced, though many still wore them.