Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent example of a WWII German Red Cross (DRK) Officer's Brocade Dress Belt Buckle (Koppelschloß). This buckle features multi-piece aluminum construction, with a 50mm, slightly convex, round central portion, with a clip on the back, as well as both belt attachments. The front of the buckle a large pebbled field, with an eagle with down-swept wings clutching a "Red Cross" in its talons and with a mobile swas to its breast. This is all surrounded by an open-topped wreath of laurels. This buckle would normally be attached to a silver bullion "brocade" belt, used on dress occasions. Unfortunately we only have the buckle, and not the belt, and they are exceedingly rare.

The buckle is in excellent condition, with minimal wear, and a lot of the factory finish present. A very attractive display piece that still retains all of the detail on the insignia. Also on the back is GES. GESCH. / 1, for "Gesetzlich Geschützt" (By-law Protected). We are not sure if the 1 is a maker code, but the buckle is otherwise unmarked.

A very choice example of a rare WWII German Red Cross (DRK) buckle, ready to display!

History of the German Red Cross (DRK)

The DRK, "Deutsches Rotes Kreuz" (German Red Cross), a voluntary civil assistance organization originally instituted in 1864, was officially acknowledged by the Geneva Convention in 1929. In December 1937 it gained status as a legally recognized organization by the NSDAP. As with other essential services in Third Reich Germany, it came under control of the NSDAP in late 1938 under the auspices of the Ministry of the Interior's Social Welfare Organization.