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 police were standardized in 1936. The obverse inscription “GOTT MIT UNS” translates to “God with us”. The buckle's field is generally pebbled, but smooth variants do exist as well.

These rectangular buckles are generally composed of aluminum or white metal, and rarely of steel that may have an aluminum finish. For members of the Wasserschutzpolizei (Water Protection Police), Harbour Police, and Traffic Police (with the white tunic only), these buckles were gold-coloured (gilt). Fire Protection Police members wore a buckle with a burnished black finish.

The belt buckles that were produced with an attached leather tab were worn with the regular service belt strap as part of the service uniform, while the belt buckles that were manufactured without a leather tab were worn on the dress leather belt strap.

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