A SS set belt buckle + leather belt + cross strap.

A SS set belt buckle + leather belt + cross strap.
The Allgemeine-SS, was originally formed in May 1923 under the auspices of the SA, Sturm Abteilung, (Storm/Assault Detachment), as the Stosstrupp Adolf Hitler (Shock Troops), and was redesignated Schutz Staffel, (Protection Squad), in April 1925 with the official acceptance of the name verified on the second anniversary of the failed Munich "Beer-Hall" Putsch on November 9th 1925. As a subordinate unit to the SA, early SS personnel wore the standard SA style box belt buckle. It is believed that Adolf Hitler personally designed a new pattern box belt buckle specifically for wear by SS EM/NCO personnel with the manufacturing patent being originally granted to the Overhoff & Cie. firm in Lüdenscheid. This new style buckle was adopted for wear by EM/NCO personnel in late 1931 or early 1932. Generally the early buckles were produced in solid nickel/silver until sometime in 1936 when aluminum alloys replaced the nickel/silver versions. In 1940 the EM/NCO’s belt buckles began to be manufactured in steel replacing the aluminum alloy buckles. Of Note: The RZM, Reichzeugmeisterei, (National Equipment Quartermaster), was officially founded in June 1934 in Munich by the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), as a Reich Hauptamt, (State Central Office), and was based on the earlier SA Quartermaster’s Department. The functions of the RZM were not only to procure and distribute items to Party formations, but also to approve chosen designs and to act as a quality control supervisor to ensure items manufactured for the Party met required specification and were standardized. Starting in late 1934 items manufactured for the SS came under the quality control of the RZM and as a result were to be marked with the RZM/SS approval/acceptance mark. In 1943 the Waffen-SS assumed full control over their uniform item production and no longer fell under the authority of the RZM.Early, (circa 1932-1934), die stamped, solid nickel/silver construction, box belt buckle features a smooth, outer field with a high relief, embossed, central motif pattern consisting of an SS style national eagle with out-stretched wings, clutching a wreath, encompassing a static swastika. The swastika and wreath are in turn encompassed by a circular, simulated, twisted rope border with the Gothic script motto, "Meine Ehre heißt Treue!", (My Honour is Loyalty!). The script is situated on a subtly textured background field and is encircled by the inner and the outer simulated twisted rope borders. The reverse of the buckle is a mirror image of the obverse and the brazed buckle catch, prong bar and prongs are all intact. The reverse of the buckle is also well marked with the stamped manufacturer’s initials, "O&C", indicating manufacture by Overhoff & Cie of Lüdenscheid and "ges. gesch.", indicating, Gesetzlich Geschützt, (Protected by Law). Nice patina to the front. Comes with a nice complete leather belt and cross strap (Schulterriemen). All leather construction with steel fittings. Nicely marked " U.E.10 RZM ". The embossed RZM logo with a single, opened bottom, circular border and additional markings "U.E" indicates "Uniformeffekten Erlaubnißschein, (Uniform Accessories Licence), and the manufacturer’s numerical code, "10" (Wilhelm Deus Solingen). It appears the combined RZM/U.E., markings were utilized circa May 1933 to March 1935 when the original controlling authority of the SA Quartermaster’s Department was converting into the RZM, Reich Zeug Meisterei, (National Equipment Quartermaster). Manufacturers were assigned a U.E. code numeral until March 1935 when the RZM underwent restructuring and assigned manufacturers contract letters and numerical codes. There was some confusion among manufacturers as to what items fell under RZM/UE control as this example indicates. The U.E. code numerals do not correspond to the later RZM codes and no full listing of the UE. Well worn and used example.
Condition: Good condition with traces of hard wear. As the pictures shown.