Hi guys!Braunschweig marked buckle what is the production period?
Hi guys!Braunschweig marked buckle what is the production period?
Frustratingly little research has been done on post-war German uniforms. But thanks to a paper by Erwin Rodehau, “Die Schutzkleidung der Freiwilligen Feuerwehren im Land Niedersachsen 1945 – 1958“ (published in: “Feuerwehrchronik”, volume 6, issue no. 5 of 30 September 2010, pp. 90 – 108), this buckle can be positively identified as being for fire fighters of the state of Lower Saxony (Bundesland Niedersachsen) of the Federal Republic of Germany. Niedersachsen was formed in 1946, incorporating the former Prussian province of Hanover as well as the former free states of Brunswick, Oldenburg and Schaumburg-Lippe.
The author quotes copiously from published and unpublished official sources and gives proper citations for decrees published in the lower saxon Ministerialblatt and Gesetz- und Verordnungssammlung. Unfortunately, only very recent issues of these publications are available online, so I was not able to verify any of the citations myself.
The buckle was introduced in 1953 and was still a regulation item in 1958. It is described as a box buckle made from pebbled Leichtmetall (literally “light metal”, an aluminium alloy), showing the arms of Lower Saxony within an oak leaf wreath. At least initially, the buckle was procured from the Assmann firm.
The paper only covers voluntary fire services up to 1958. So it doesn’t deal with professional fire services (or fire forces maintained by corporations/enterprises). I should expect the buckle to have been worn by professional fire services as well, and it could have been an official item of equipment until the 1970ies. But that would need to be verified.
Attached is the arms of Niedersachsen copied from the state's official website.
Similar Threads
Bookmarks