History

During the Third Reich, an effort was made to unite all of Germany’s disparate provincial police forces and agencies into a single cohesive national unit. To attain this goal, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler was named Chief of the German Police in the Ministry of the Interior in June 1936. That same month, Himmler implemented new standardized uniforms, headgear, and insignia. The uniforms worn prior to Himmler’s appointment were often navy blue, particularly in what had been Prussia. The new uniforms were green, in a shade that was then dubbed “Police green”.

The German Police were divided into two main units, the Ordnungspolizei (Orps or Regular Police) and the Sicherheitspolizei (Secret Police); the Ordnungspolizei were unofficially called the green police (Grüne Polizei) as a result of their uniform colour. The Sicherheitspolizei were made up of two main organizations, the Gestapo and the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Investigation Police). At the beginning of the Second World War, the Sicherheitspolizei were brought under the auspices of the Reich Main Security Office.

The belt buckles worn by Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and Enlisted Men (EMs) within the German rural police feature an eagle with spread wings on a swastika inside a laurel wreath. Little is known about this buckle, as period sources of its institution and purpose have never been found.

These rectangular buckles are generally composed of aluminum or white metal, and rarely of steel that may have an aluminum finish. There is a gilt version, which has been speculated to have been worn with the white dress tunic only, but this has yet to be confirmed.

The reverse of the buckle or leather tab may be stamped with the manufacturer’s mark and year of production.