A Rare Flemish Youth Belt Buckle

HJ Flanders; In stamped gilt steel, unmarked reverse, measuring 47 mm x 63 mm, worn, better than very fine.

Footnote: This buckle came from the personal collection of John R. Angolia, the author of "Belt Buckles & Brocades of the Third Reich, Revised Edition". Hitler Youth units existed in Belgium even before the German occupation and were for the children of German residents. These were augmented by 1943 by some families evacuated from Germany due to Allied air raids. Hitler Youth officials in the summer of 1943 established a Hitler Youth Flanders which Flemish youth could join. Members appeared to have been mostly boys whose parents worked for or with the German Occuation authorities and those with extremely right-wing political affliliations. The Devlag was a pre-war cultural group aimed at instigating Flemish-German friendship, but developed into a poltical group. It operated a National Socialist (NAZI) school in Antwerp. Many of these boys were in November 1943 handed over to the Hitler Youth Flanders. Their Hitler Youth Flanders uniforms were identical to that of the German Hitler Youth except that they wore a badge on their left cuff-the black Lion of Flanders on a yellow shield. In addition, the unit triangle worn by all Hitler Youth formations on the upper left arm had "Hitlerjugend/Vlaanderen". In contrast, the German units in Flanders had "HJ/Flanderen". The lion of Flanders and the word Vlaandern was displayed in the upper left corner of the swastika flag. There appears to have been fights between the Belgian DMS or Hitler Youth boys and the Scouts.