History

The headgear, uniforms, and insignia worn by members of the Kriegsmarine were based upon the designs utilized by the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) and the Reichsmarine of the Weimar Republic. The official regulations governing the uniforms of the Reichsmarine were issued on April 5, 1921, and they were embraced, with a few alterations, as the Kriegsmarine uniforms in 1935.

From 1933-1945, the uniforms worn by personnel in the German Navy were produced and disseminated by the Navy Clothing Depot and private manufacturers.

The brocade belt strap and buckle were first introduced in 1869, but the version worn by Officers of the Kriegsmarine was based upon the brocade belt worn during the Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine brocade belts removed the imperial crown image from the belt buckle and replaced it with a fouled anchor.

The brocade dress belt strap and buckle are composed of several main elements, including the brocade strap, the strap loops, the two rectangular catches, the buckle, the buckle hook, and the manufacturer mark.

The brocade dress strap is generally composed of aluminum bullion wire arranged in vertical rows with dashes of black embroidery, and a black wool backer to discourage chafing. There are also examples of a leather belt strap worn with the brocade buckle. The brocade straps were worn with the formal evening dress, walking out dress, and parade dress. The left end of the belt strap is fitted with a rectangular belt catch, which may be gold-coloured for Officers or silver-coloured for Administrative Officials with the equivalent rank of Officer.

Each end of the belt strap has a loop composed of the same fabric as the strap, either aluminum bullion wire or leather. The loop by the right belt catch is sewn into position on the strap.

The buckle was originally gold-coloured and worn exclusively by Line Officers, but after 1934, a silver-coloured version of the belt buckle was introduced for wear by Administrative Officials. The obverse of the buckle features a fouled anchor in the centre of a circular wreath. The reverse of the buckle has a rectangular catch that connects to the right end of the strap. The dress brocade belt buckle and the undress belt buckle feature the same obverse design, but the dress buckle is larger than the undress buckle.

The reverse of the buckle also features a u-shaped hook that attaches to the belt strap’s rectangular catch.

The marks of private manufacturers vary widely, ranging from codes to full names, and even abbreviated letters, as well as the year of manufacture. After 1942, Reich numbers (Reichsbetriebsnummer) were also used as manufacturer marks (RB-).

Known manufacturers include, but are not limited to, Emil Jüttner and Friedrich Linden.