I like the Norwegian holsters because of their history. The Norwegians are a pragmatic people and when the Germans left all their equipment behind they decided to put it to good use, rather than throw it away. Through the Marshall Aid Plan they received additional equipment from the USA, so their Army and later their Reserves were equipped using the most optimal combination in my opinion: US field gear and German guns.
So the loops of the holsters were cut away and a leather strap with a US belt hanger was rivited on. I display one of my holsters attached to a US-style web belt with carrying straps from Norwegian stock. You may want to contact Steinar Aalberg (member Morgan Kane). He still has a number of these NOS Norwegian belts and can probably get you one if you're interested.
The holsters themselves can be found in any going German configuration, I have Norwegian holsters dating from 1916 until 1940. Most are used quite well (up to the mid 1980s) but clean up nicely when you get the old build-up of shoepolish off them. I use a combination of general glass cleaner and alcohol to slowly loosen up the shoe polish layer and get to the original coating underneath. You have to be careful not to brush/wipe too strongly or it will damage the finish underneath, but by just doing a little at the time it's possible to restore the original lustre of the holster, even the threads will go back to their original light color. Then it's just a matter of some good shoe brush action to make them presentable again.
The example shown is a 1916 dated example, with a bekleidungsamt marking in the flap, modified by the Norwegians.
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