Strange Leather Belt Of Sorts

[Unheilig]

Those hooks on the end make me think German but I haven't the foggiest clue. I was unable to locate any stamps or makers marks. Any ideas?

Attachment 48719Attachment 48720Attachment 48721

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[gew8805]

Likely civilian, no military issued anything like it. It is possible that it could have been "custom made" by a unit harness maker for a member of some military unit but not likely, the work is well done but not quite at a professional level. Sorry.

[browningautorifle]

How about something out of Yugoslavia...(Former) They used exactly that sort of thing, depending on which exact unit you dealt with.

[gew8805]

Very interesting Jim.....

[browningautorifle]

Wish I could come up with a pic for substantiation...or a guy that still has one...they had big silvery square buckles like the German or Russian...or even some that came from RVN. Big...

[gew8805]

This one appears to adjust size by the hooks shown doesn't it? Rather than having a standard plate or buckle, this one has the hooks, unless I miss my guess. Hopefully, Unheilig will step in and get me straight on this.

[Unheilig]

I admit, some better pictures would be helpful. I'll take a few tomorrow when I have more light. Oddly enough, the belt holes on this piece are set up like your average everyday belt. They are all in one row. All of the German belts I've seen usually always had two rows of holes. I was thinking that perhaps those hooks were there to hold the buckle in place and the buckle itself had a post that you'd lock into a hole on the belt that matched the size you needed.

[browningautorifle]

I think the buckles have a couple little pegs and then set on the belt. The hooks go into the back of the buckle and the end of the belt goes through the loop...

[gew8805]

My camera is on the fritz (as well as my ability to use it) so I will try my best to describe the way a German belt works using photos I have saved, this applies to the standard M1895 belt in use from 1895 until the post WW2 era though it also is the same method used earlier and, in East Germany through the 1970s. The M1895 buckle is here:





Here is a standard M1895 belt in use from that date until at least 1945:



While not the best image out there it is all I can come up with for now. The belt has a hook permanently attached to one end:



At the other end, there is a billet with double line of holes where the belt attaches and adjusts on the belt, this is sewed to the back of the belt, the adjustment holes are not visible when worn.

I wish I could show photos of the assembled belt and buckle but this is the best I can do for now. As you can see, there is no buckle safe attached as shown in the pictures posted by the OP, nor are there sliding loops or double hooks sewn to the belt. Clear as mud?

[Unheilig]

I appreciate the help and you are indeed correct. I just found a picture of a complete German belt and they do not attach the way I thought they did. With that said, I suppose it's back to the drawing board. Some country, somewhere had to have used a belt like this but like you mentioned, it could just be a simple civilian type-job or perhaps it's not even a belt to begin with. Ah well, the help was appreciated. I'll spend the day sifting through Google images in hopes of finding a match.