History

The German Reichspost (national postal service) was founded as a result of the transition from empire to Weimar Republic after the First World War. During the time of the empire, several German states had had their own postal service, but during the time of the Weimar Republic, the postal service was transformed into a unified, national, government-run operation. As such, during the time of the Third Reich, the postal service conformed with the NSDAP ideology and was used to further it. The Reichspost incorporated the postal services of annexed territories (i.e. Austria, Sudetenland) as well as conquered territories (i.e. Poland).

The Postschutz (postal service protection) was a paramilitary organisation tasked with protecting postal buildings and property. It was established in March of 1933. During the war, postal protection personnel stationed outside of the German borders in occupied territories were referred to as Deutsche Dienstpost.

Just like the Reichspost, the Postschutz used orange piping and orange cloth underlay for their garments and insignia. Unlike the Reichspost, however, the Postschutz uniform colour was field-grey. This was changed to brown in 1941.
Members of the Deutsche Dienstpost used the same uniforms and insignia as the Postschutz, but with green piping and cloth underlay.

In March of 1942, the Postschutz came under control of the Allgemeine SS and shortly after under control of the Waffen-SS. It was henceforth known as SS-Postschutz.

Feldpost (field mail) is the term for all mail sent to and from soldiers, either private letters for individuals or orders sent from one unit or office to another. Feldpost was entirely controlled by the German Wehrmacht (armed forces) and not a part of the regular Reichspost.

The only postal employees that wore a belt and buckle were the members of the Postschutz. The Postschutz belt buckle was first produced in late 1933. It is rectangular in shape and measures 63x47mm. The field is pebbled. It features an eagle emblem inside a serrated circle with an inner and outer rope-like border. At the bottom, the word “Postschutz” in Gothic letters is featured in between the borders of the circle. The eagle has flared wings and faces to the viewer’s left. It stands on the bend of a postal horn with a mobile swastika inside. At the height of its talons, two bolts of lightning emanate from the bend in the postal horn on each side. The eagle’s most recognisable feature is that its mouth is open and its tongue sticks out.

Buckles were generally constructed of molded aluminum, either bright or with a field-grey finish, stamped steel, or matte-grey nickel. If a leather tab is present, it often features the designation DRP (Deutsche Reichspost) and the abbreviation for the wearer’s city of service. The buckle was initially worn with a brown leather belt strap, but this was changed to black in 1938.