Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Wehrmacht [German Armed Forces] M1936 belt with concealed tongue and removable buckle brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army as it fought its way across Europe from fall 1944- through the end of the war in May 1945.
- Date
-
found:
approximately 1945
manufacture: 1941
- Geography
-
found:
Germany
manufacture: Ludenscheid (Germany)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Estelle Cohen
- Markings
- a. bottom, hook end, pressed : ? / n(?)an 15 / 1941
b. leather tab, top, pressed, within oval : JUL KREMP / 1941 / LÜDENSCHEID
b. buckle, top center, embossed : GOTT MIT UNS [God with us]
b. buckle, bottom, right, engraved : IKA41 - Contributor
-
Subject:
Bernard B. Cohen
Manufacturer: Julius Kremp
- Biography
-
Bernard Baruch Cohen was born on June 22, 1920, in Philadelphia, PA, to Simon and Sarah Cohen. His Yiddish speaking parents had immigrated to the United States from Imperial Russia. Bernard was the second of four children. After completing high school, he worked in a restaurant, and then at Sam Gerson’s apparel shop. In 1941, he married Estelle Elias (1922-2008.).
In December 1941, the United States entered World War II (1939-1945.) Bernard enlisted in the US Army, Warrant Officers Branch, on February 11, 1943, and entered active service on February 18, He served with the Third Army under General Patton in combat across Europe from late October 1944 - mid-July 1945. Bernard was honorably discharged from the military on November 1, 1945. He returned to Philadelphia. Bernard and Estelle had a son and a daughter. They owned and operated two maternity and baby shops, Dorebel's Maternity and Baby Shops in South Philadelphia and Mayfair. They were members of Adath Shalom synagogue and active in the wider Jewish community. Bernard, 63, passed away on August 23, 1983, in Philadelphia. In 1986, Estelle received the Israel Freedom Award from the State of Israel Women's Division. Estelle, 86, passed away on August 26, 2008.
Physical Details
- Language
- German
- Classification
-
Dress Accessories
- Category
-
Belts (Clothing)
- Object Type
-
Belts (Clothing) (lcsh)
- Genre/Form
- Uniforms
- Physical Description
- a. Well used, smooth brown leather belt with a worn black finish. One end is looped over a once gray painted bracket with a curved tab. The other rounded end has, sewn to its back, an approximately 8 inch long leather tongue with 2 parallel rows of 7 worn, punched holes. This double layer tongue construction was used so only the smooth outer edges would display, enhancing the appearance in uniform.
b. Worn, rusted, rectangular, silver colored metal buckle, smooth with a domed center embossed with a right facing, Wehrmacht eagle with outspread wings clutching a mobile swastika in its talons. Surrounding the eagle is a twisted rope circle, then a ridged band with German text and a banded oak leaf garland, and then another twisted rope circle. Attached to the back right is a 2 pronged metal frame and a pivoting rod which attaches on the left side. Looped around the rod is a short, brown leather tongue with a worn black finish; the rounded ends are stitched together. To attach to the belt, the curved belt tab would catch on the buckle frame; the prongs would align with the belt tongue holes to adjust the size. - Dimensions
- a: Height: 36.625 inches (93.028 cm) | Width: 1.750 inches (4.445 cm) | Depth: 0.500 inches (1.27 cm)
b: Height: 1.875 inches (4.763 cm) | Width: 5.125 inches (13.017 cm) | Depth: 0.625 inches (1.588 cm) - Materials
- a : leather, metal, paint, thread
b : metal, leather, thread
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The belt and buckle were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1985 by Estelle Cohen, the wife of Bernard B. Cohen.
- Funding Note
- The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
- Record last modified:
- 2024-01-12 15:02:51
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn11
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Also in Bernard B. Cohen collection
The collection consists of German military uniform clothing and accessories: dress jacket, four hats, helmet, two canteens, belt, and nine shoulder boards relating to the experiences of Bernard B. Cohen, as a soldier in the United States Third Army, European Theater of Operations, during World War II.
Date: 1945
German military red painted canteen in pouch with strap acquired by US soldier
Object
German military field canteen, painted red, in a fitted wool pouch with a leather carrying strap brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army as it fought its way across Europe during the fall of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
German military canteen with leather strap acquired by US soldier
Object
German military aluminum field canteen with leather carrying strap brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army as it fought its way across Europe during the fall of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe M1942 helmet taken from a German soldier by US soldier
Object
German Luftwaffe M1942 helmet brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army. Cohen took this helmet from a fifteen year old German soldier who had tried to shoot him. The helmet was made by a hot stamping steel process and this style was mass produced until late 1944-early 1945 when the factory was overrun by Allied troops. The Reichsadler [Imperial eagle] decal was discontinued ca. 1943 as an efficiency measure and to improve concealment in the field. Cohen was in combat with the Third Army from fall 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe flak artillery shoulder strap with red piping acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe flak artillery uniform shoulder board with red piping brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army as it fought its way across Europe from fall 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe flak artillery shouder strap with red piping acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe flak artillery uniform shoulderboard with red piping brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army as it fought its way across Europe from fall 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe flak artillery shoulder strap with red piping acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe flak artillery uniform shoulder board with red piping brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army as it fought its way across Europe from fall 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe flak artillery shoulder strap with red piping acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe flak artillery uniform shoulder board with red piping brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army as it fought its way across Europe from fall 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe KRS shoulder board with gold piping acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe officer's Kraftfahrschule [KRS, Motor Transport School] shoulder strap with gold piping brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army. The shoulder board appears to have been cut off a German uniform. Cohen was in combat with the Third Army from the fall of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe KRS shoulder board with gold piping acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe officer's Kraftfahrschule [KRS, Motor Transport School] shoulder strap with gold piping brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army. The shoulder board appears to have been cut off a German uniform. Cohen was in combat with the Third Army from the fall of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe KRS shoulder board with gold piping acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe officer's Kraftfahrschule [KRS, Motor Transport School] shoulder strap with gold piping brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army. The shoulder board appears to have been cut off a German uniform. Cohen was in combat with the Third Army from the fall of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe KRS shoulder board with gold piping acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe officer's Kraftfahrschule [KRS, Motor Transport School] shoulder strap with gold piping brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army. The shoulder board appears to have been cut off a German uniform. Cohen was in combat with the Third Army from the fall of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe KRS shoulder board with gold piping acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe officer's Kraftfahrschule [Motor Transport School] shoulder board brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army as it fought its way across Europe from the fall of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe ground crew overseas cap with eagle acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe ground crew overseas or garrison cap with a 1st pattern Luftwaffe eagle patch brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a American soldier. This patch, with the drop tailed, spread winged eagle in right profle clutching a swastila in 1 talon, was produced ca. 1935-1937; the hat ca. 1938. Bernard was with the United States Third Army as it fought its way across Europe from the fall of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe ground crew overseas cap with eagle acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe ground crew overseas or garrison cap with a 1st pattern Luftwaffe eagle patch brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a American soldier. This patch, with the drop tailed, spread winged eagle in right profle clutching a swastila in 1 talon, was produced ca. 1935-1937; the hat ca. 1938. Bernard was with the United States Third Army as it fought its way across Europe from the fall of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe M1935 Schirmmutze with visor acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe [German Air Force] M1935 Schirmmutze with visor brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army as it fought its way across Europe from the fall of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe M1935 Schirmmutze without visor acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe [German Air Force] M1935 Schirmmutze without a visor brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army as it fought its way across Europe from the fall of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
Luftwaffe Waffenrock dress uniform jacket acquired by US soldier
Object
Luftwaffe Waffenrock dress uniform jacket with gold piping, shoulder boards, and gorgets brought back from the war by Bernard B. Cohen, a soldier with the United States Third Army as it fought its way across Europe from the fall of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945.
