A Study of DJ Deutsches Jungvolk Belt Buckles, Belts and Cross straps

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ewan0939

ewan0939

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Hi there,

This is the start of an article on the DJ belt buckle, belt and cross straps. Bringing together all the information and photographs from this forum, and/or many other sources including the internet/books and from individuals. Credit will be given if known.

I will not be covering the DJ Black Buckle, as an excellent sticky thread has already be completed by Chad Williams.
The plan of action, as I am no IT guru is to put this article together over a period of time ,and for Garry to put all this information together so it all makes sense.

Points covered by this article are:

1. History of the DJ buckle.

By Aug 1933 we can see the standard DJ buckle shown in official RJF publications once the uniforms of the various branches of the Hitler Youth had been standardised.
In the early years the DJ buckle was produced in two sizes, 45mm and 35mm there were many design differences in respect to the rune shape and size. The DJ buckle was worn by all personnel, except DJ Leaders who wore from 1934, the HJ pattern open double-claw buckle until the introduction of the HJ Leaders buckle in 1936.
When the official version of the DJ buckle with Siegrune was introduced the sole maker appears to have been Assman initially. Same went for the official HJ buckles at this time.

( Garry could you please insert here, your link from the regulations on page 2 of the the Black DJ buckle article as well as the photo of both buckles from the Assman catalogue

"...the regulation buckles can be obtained through the firm of FW Aßmann u. Söhne, Lüdenscheid" Link


( Hi Garry can you please insert here, your photo of the regulations mentioning the DJ buckle was to be discontinued and all DJ to wear the HJ buckle)

As of 31 December 1937, the DJ buckle was discontinued and all DJ were to wear the same belt buckle as the Hitlerjugend.
Therefore the DJ buckle was only manufactured from Nov/Dec 1933 to December 1937, a total of only 4 years.


2. Early belt buckles with diamond centre/variations etc, with photographs of each.


3. DJ buckle makers, broken into 3 x groups:

Pre RZM control period -

Some makers did not put any markings on their buckles, or just the Makers name and/or the Makers logo on the buckle.
You can see on many early buckles Ges Gesch = Protected by Law, KH = Koppelschloss- Hersteller = buckle manufacturer and UE = Uniform effects followed by the Makers code number's. Most of the buckle manufacturers were in Lübenscheid ( more details required )

Styled A above A & S Ges.Gesch 17 - F.W. Assman u. Söhne - photo link

KH/UE can be found on buckles from late 1933. The use of KH/UE was discontinued when the new RZM code with Unterabteilung/ subdivision and Gruppe/group was published in RZM letter dated 09 March 1935.

RZM KH 22 - Christian Th. Dicke - note makers mark inside edge of buckle - photo link
RZM KH 24 - Friedrich Linden - photo link
RZM KH 30 ?? - Paul Cramer - photo link
RZM UE 72 - Paul Cramer - note also produced hammered flat rune - photo link
RZM UE 140 - Wilhelm Schroder - photo link

Transitional period - Where the Makers name, Makers Logo and RZM Makers code was used.

RZM 1 -
RZM 3 -
RZM 17 - F.W. Assman u. Söhne - photo link
RZM 36 - Berg & Norte ?? - photo link
RZM 50 - R. Sieper & Sohne - photo link
RZM 55 - Julius Kremp? - note Maker mark in middle of rune ?- photo link

c, RZM period - The new RZM code to be used from March 1935 to December

RZM M4/17 - F.W. Assman u. Söhne - photo link
RZM M4/23 -
RZM M4/24 - Friedrich Linden -photo link
RZM M4/27 - Overhoff & Co - photo link
RZM M4/30 - Berg & Norte - photo link
RZM M4/30 - Berg & Norte - Note White rune with MM on inside wall of lug - photo link
RZM M4/34 - Drandfield & Co, - photo link
RZM M4/39 - Assman ?? - photo link
RZM M4/44 - Paul Cramer - photo link
RZM M4/46 - Wilhelm Schroder - photo link
RZM M4/49 - Steinhaur & Luck,Ludenscheid - photo link
RZM M4/55 - Julius Kremp - photo link

4. List of Unknown non maker marked 45mm DJ buckles with rune variations, with photographs of each.

5. List of the known 45mm DJ buckles with RZM labels, with photographs of each.

6. DJ to HJ 45mm buckle conversions:

In accordance with the RJF directive V/13 the previous DJ buckle is no longer permitted to be worn and is to be replaced by the HJ buckle. It is possible to modify DJ buckles by fitting HJ buckle roundels (eagle with the HJ formation symbol and motto) on top of the sigrune. These modified buckles are fully adequate and are indiscernible from standard HJ buckles. During the modification process all buckles will be renovated and will receive a new nickel finish. The modification cost is 0.16 Reichsmark per buckle. Buckles are to be sent post-free to the respective firm with return postage costs to be borne by the receiving unit. Packing cost will be 0.05 Reichsmark per kilogram.

The modification will be carried out by the following firms:

For HJ districts (HJ Gebiete) 1 to 9: F. W. Assmann u. Söhne, Lüdenscheid - RZM M4/17 - photo link
For HJ districts (HJ Gebiete) 10 to 17: C. Th. Dicke, Lüdenscheid - RZM M4/22 ?? - photo link
For HJ districts (HJ Gebiete) 11 to 26: Overhoff & Cie, Lüdenscheid - RZM M4/27 - photo link

The respective heads of district organisation departments (Organisationsabteilung) are to promulgate instructions regarding the modification process to their units. All available DJ buckles are to be returned. This change to the buckles represents a large saving in terms of materials as the now redundant DJ buckles can be recycled and do not need to be scrapped.

As far as logistics are concerned, it should be noted that buckles must be sent to to the respective firms in batches. It makes sense to allow this to proceed at the Fähnlein level in order to avoid an increase in postal charges which would be incurred by sending batches of buckles up the chain of command. In urban areas, the Jungbann can act as the central collecting point. The most appropriate course of action can be decided by the respective district organisation department. Only buckles of the correct size may be returned for modification. The so-called "children's' buckles" (Kinderkoppelschlösser) will not be accepted by the three companies and will be retuned to the units. The receipt of each batch of buckles will be confirmed by the companies and they will also provide a forecast for when the buckles will be ready.

Payment for the buckles will be made on delivery by the receiving units. The companies will send a postcard in advance of delivery to inform units of the cost. The bill will be sent with the package. If units are not paying for the buckle modification from their own funds then the cost for each buckle will be borne by the owner. The heads of the respective district administration departments (Verwaltungsabteilung) will issue the necessary instructions.

This directive has been agreed with the Reich treasurer of the HJ.

The heads of the organisation departments will provide a progress report to the Office of Organisation (Organisationsamt) by the 20th of April 1938. This is to include a copy of their instructions.

Signed, Gebietsführer Berger


7. List of 35mm DJ buckles with photographs of each showing rune variations.

8. List of known Foreign makers of the DJ buckle, with photographs of each.

9. Period photographs of DJ buckles being worn.

10. Fakes. Photographs of each.

11. DJ maker marked belts, non maker marked belts, with photographs of each.

12. DJ maker marked cross straps, non maker straps, with photographs of each.

13. Any other items ???

Best regards....Ewan
 
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Thanks for restarting the thread Ewan. The problem that you were having with edits is just normal behaviour. All users can edit their posts/threads for a certain amount of time but once that time is up the edit function is removed. This is why the HJ-Wiki is a better option because you have no limits there.



As I find stuff that might be useful for your article I'll add it here:

It would seem that in 1933, Assmann u. Söhne were the sole approved manufacturer of the DJ buckle:

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Pictures of the small and large DJ buckle from an Assmann u. Söhne catalogue:

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The regulation DJ buckle now in one size only (Bekleidung u. Ausrüstung der HJ 1934 p106):

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DJ to HJ buckle conversion

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The change to HJ buckles for the DJ was ordered on the 4th of June 1937 (Verordnungsblatt der RJF V13 dated 4.6.1937 - see above). The order says that there was a period of grace ending on 31.12.1937 where the old DJ buckles could still be worn. The plan was that the DJ would all be wearing the HJ buckle by the beginning of 1938. However, and in order to save on costs and materials, a programme was subsequently introduced to convert DJ buckles into HJ buckles (Reichsbefehl 10 III dated 18.3.1938 see below for my translation). The conversions were carried out by Assmann, Overhoff and Dicke (Source)


Translation of the Reichsbefehl by Garry follows (source):

Change to the DJ Buckle

In accordance with the RJF directive V/13 the previous DJ buckle is no longer permitted to be worn and is to be replaced by the HJ buckle. It is possible to modify DJ buckles by fitting HJ buckle roundels (eagle with the HJ formation symbol and motto) on top of the sigrune. These modified buckles are fully adequate and are indiscernible from standard HJ buckles. During the modification process all buckles will be renovated and will receive a new nickel finish. The modification cost is 0.16 Reichsmark per buckle. Buckles are to be sent post-free to the respective firm with return postage costs to be borne by the receiving unit. Packing cost will be 0.05 Reichsmark per kilogram.

The modification will be carried out by the following firms:

For HJ districts (HJ Gebiete) 1 to 9: F. W. Assmann u. Söhne, Lüdenscheid
For HJ districts (HJ Gebiete) 10 to 17: C. Th. Dicke, Lüdenscheid
For HJ districts (HJ Gebiete) 11 to 26: Overhoff & Cie, Lüdenscheid

The respective heads of district organisation departments (Organisationsabteilung) are to promulgate instructions regarding the modification process to their units. All available DJ buckles are to be returned. This change to the buckles represents a large saving in terms of materials as the now redundant DJ buckles can be recycled and do not need to be scrapped.

As far as logistics are concerned, it should be noted that buckles must be sent to to the respective firms in batches. It makes sense to allow this to proceed at the Fähnlein level in order to avoid an increase in postal charges which would be incurred by sending batches of buckles up the chain of command. In urban areas, the Jungbann can act as the central collecting point. The most appropriate course of action can be decided by the respective district organisation department. Only buckles of the correct size may be returned for modification. The so-called "children's' buckles" (Kinderkoppelschlösser) will not be accepted by the three companies and will be retuned to the units. The receipt of each batch of buckles will be confirmed by the companies and they will also provide a forecast for when the buckles will be ready.

Payment for the buckles will be made on delivery by the receiving units. The companies will send a postcard in advance of delivery to inform units of the cost. The bill will be sent with the package. If units are not paying for the buckle modification from their own funds then the cost for each buckle will be borne by the owner. The heads of the respective district administration departments (Verwaltungsabteilung) will issue the necessary instructions.

This directive has been agreed with the Reich treasurer of the HJ.

The heads of the organisation departments will provide a progress report to the Office of Organisation (Organisationsamt) by the 20th of April 1938. This is to include a copy of their instructions.

Signed, Gebietsführer Berger



Examples of coverted buckles:

DJ to HJ converted belt buckle | Belts and Buckles

heres a very nice buckle i stumbled apon and have added it to the collection opinions welcome :001_cool: all other members if you have any please share? (chad has 10 :w00t:) cheers Ewan
www.hj-research.com www.hj-research.com


Photos:

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Hi Garry,

Is there anyway i can transfer all the work I have done so far on to a HJ-Wiki page or if possible could you do it for me ??
That is Fantastic info on the DJ to HJ conversions, as well as the other photos. Thank you.

Lost use of Edit again, sorry I do not have the time to complete article in one go, so the only way forward is to move all to Hj-wiki page ?

Best regards...Ewan
 
You just keep going Ewan and I'll transfer things across. Once the DJ buckle page is more populated you'll find it easy to add stuff straight to there (I have updated it recently and have added more menu items/section headers). As I say, adding pictures is not as easy as adding them to a normal thread but I'll do that :thumb:
 
Garry said:
You just keep going Ewan and I'll transfer things across. Once the DJ buckle page is more populated you'll find it easy to add stuff straight to there (I have updated it recently and have added more menu items/section headers). As I say, adding pictures is not as easy as adding them to a normal thread but I'll do that
Click to expand...

Thanks Garry, can reset EDIT again for me as it has gone again Cheers
 
ewan0939 said:
Thanks Garry, can reset EDIT again for me as it has gone again Cheers
Click to expand...

That's what I meant before Ewan. You only have a certain amount of time to edit a thread/post. Best way forward is that you to make a new post with information that you'd like to add and I'll copy everything into post #1 for you :thumb:
 
Good afternoon all,

Just to keep you in the loop, I am still working on this study of the DJ buckle. However this thread is not being updated as on Garry's recommendation this thread is now on HJ-Wiki click on the start of the thread the words DJ buckle which are hi lighted in blue, and it should take too the ongoing work on the DJ buckle.

Best regards....Ewan
 
Hi EWAN
I looked at my two large model buckles, one is UE72 and the other, more interesting KH30 but with a very small RZM logo and 96 . The print is so light that I can't take a photo.
 
Hi EWAN
I looked at my two large model buckles, one is UE72 and the other, more interesting KH30 but with a very small RZM logo and 96 . The print is so light that I can't take a photo.

Hi Bertrand,

Thank you but I have photos of my x 2 UE72, see my photos below.
I hope you can try again to get a photo of the KH30 with the small rzm and 96, as looking for photos of that buckle.
If you do manage to photo it, can you send photos in the same layout as mine, thank you.

Best regards

Ewan

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RZM M4\23

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Hi Ewan

I have 2 buckles - 1. with RZM 50 - 2. with RZM KH 24

If you want pics just tell me :)

Michael :denmark
 
Hi Michael,

That would be great, could you please post photos of your DJ RZM 50 buckle in the same format as Bertrand.

Best regards..Ewan
 
Hi Ewan

Enclosed pics - I hope that the format is OK

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I'm really looking forward to your work on the DJ belt buckles progressing :clap2: And I'm happy to be able to contribute a little bit.

Michael :denmark
 

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Good morning Michael,

Thank you for photos they are perfect. I really like the very unusual position of the RZM marking. How did you manage spot it when buying the buckle ?

Another question for you, do you know the correct technical descriptions of the various parts used in putting a buckle together ( German/English)? ie
For the sides of the buckle that the pin goes through ?
The pin its self ?
The 2 x prongs (used to attach the buckle to the belt) ?
The metal covering the pin and the attachment of the 2 x prongs ? , where the RZM 50 is stamped
The buckle catch ? which the belt hooks onto.

Best regards....Ewan
 
Hi Ewan

I just knew where to look for the RZM mark. :)

Attached designations in German and English for most of the designations related to belt buckles.

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I hope you can use it.

Michael :denmark
 

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Thank you Michael and Wilhelm, for your replies that is exactly the information I was after.
 
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