WWI Trench Art I.D.?

[Drachenblut]

Hello,

I know this is not a rifle, but this is the closest forum on here I could figure to put this.

This piece of trench art has been in my family for a long time, and it has now come into my hands just in time for Remembrance Day. I recognize it as a WWI belt buckle, however I do not know if it is Prussian or another State? All the pictures I see of Prussian WWI belt buckles have a different crown, namely the side of the crown is more open, this one is more closed in, the peak cross on the top is smaller, and the banner with dots under the crown stretches the entire length of the inside of the inner circle, pictures I have seen online show this banner cut off under the crown. Puzzling!

It's a matchbox, and was missing the inside sliding "box", I found one from a pack of Coleman survival matches worked perfectly, it strikes up fine.

Here is a picture, with a link to all of them below. Would love more info and thoughts on this trench art! I also suggest that anyone with pictures of trench art from that era in their family put it up on this post!

http://s1013.beta.photobucket.com/user/Drachenblutt/library/Belt Buckle

Cheers,
Drach

 

[smellie]

"God with us".

Everybody wanted that in the Great War.

I think that God just stood to one side and wept.
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Old JOKE about these buckles (both wars) was that they were issued to troops heading for the Russian Front as a reminder: "Got mittens?"!
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There were several different belt buckle plates in use at that time. Not sure if this is identical to the one I have, although it is similar.

I think you are right and this is the 'general issue' type, which would include Prussian.

I have only encountered a couple of types of these, the standard (as above) and the steel one with "In Treue Fest". Helmet eagles were much more varied; our local Museum has a whole display of them.

Hope this is SOME help, anyway.

 

[Drachenblut]

Very neat, definitely of some help! I looked into it more and it seems to be a very early Prussian buckle, as the "shako" or the badge is actually silver dipped in copper.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Standard German Army slogan. WWll Wehrmacht buckles have the same. Funny, God seems to have been on everybody's side.


Grizz

 

[drm3m]

WWII German belt dated 1940.

As smellie said.
"God with us".

"Everybody wanted that in the Great War"----( and WWII.)

"I think that God just stood to one side and wept."

I think that the Germans needed the 'Mittens" later during the war while they were vacationing in Russia during the winter of 1943.

David

I think the Russians were ready.

I am not sure that the Germans knew what lay ahead.
The closer tolerances of the German MP40 probably did not function as well as the Russian PPSh-41s in the cold Russian winter weather.

Russian PPSh-41 manufactured in 1943....when it was a cold winter and the Germans were on the doorstep.