1939 Heer by Adolf Baumeister

**Ben Evans** · 11-12-2007, 02:44 PM

Hi Richie, well you have just opened a can of worms, I will try and explain this as simple as possible. Around 1935 certain firms were authorized to produce goods under RZM license (Reichszeugmeisterei der NSDAP). Each was given a different code and number. For example M4 became buckles, "M" for metal and "4" for buckles. M1 became Insignia and badges, M2 subcontractors, M4 buckles, M5 Uniform & Accessories etc the list goes on. So in short term that’s where "M" comes from. Prior to this buckles were stamped with manufacturers contract code or (Uniformeffekten or Uniformeffekten Erlaubnisschein - UE) There are alot of grey areas within this. If you want to know more get the buckle book by Angolia, it explains it in brief in there. That’s where I have got this information from. So from the M4 contract from 1935 to 1944 120 companies were issued contracts so M4/1 - M4/120. On the M4 list that I have started I am trying to eventually find an example of buckles created by each contractor so there is an example of each buckle and with that buckle hopefully a maker’s mark with it for reference. Later I will show you another list of the M4 makers that I have never seen examples of, sometimes I begin to wonder if some of these "M" contractors ever made buckles at all as no examples have ever been seen as yet. Along with the M4 makers there were lots of firms that produced buckles but had no RZM license, example: Hermann Knoller, Robert Dold (RODO), J Deutschbein, Schmole & Comp. So to finish there are lots of buckle makers out there with buckles to find if you are lucky. At the moment now I am getting to a stage where I cannot find any makers marks that I do not have, there are 70 makers on the M4 list of buckles I have never seen. So what you have requested me to do could in fact take years to catalogue every buckle from every Service, but it would be fun doing. Hope this gives you a brief glimpse into the M4 coding Ritchie and what it is about, it is an entire subject and hobby in itself