MG bullets, Tank bullet, Wood Bullets

[cpt1992]

Purchased a small lot of items brought back by an AEF soldier assigned to the 56th Arty. He labeled all his souvenir items with tags. This grouping included
a leather field belt that the German soldier actually " braided" , a picture, a matchbox,a leather dog tag holder, 2 pocket knifes , a broken pocket watch taken off a KIA soldier and an almost mint technical troops field cap ( except
for what appears to be blood stains). Unfortunately I could not afford the German shoulder straps or his gas mask. I was able to keep about 85% of the grouping together

These MG bullets were taken out of the Argonne

[cpt1992]

Tag

All items were tagged with some giving locations and others just ID'ing items.

[cpt1992]

Additional ordinance

It is my understanding there is controversy regarding the use of wooden
tipped bullets in combat during the war. This wood bullet filled clip came together and would have almost certainly been picked up at the front. It would seem to lend some credence to the idea they were used. Just my thought.

[Greg W.]

Nice group ! I have one of those antitank rounds, as well as a wooden tipped bullet that was brought home by a relative who was in the 128th Inf. , 32nd Division, AEF. I think the 7.92 mm wooden bullet cartridge was for drill/training purposes.

[Hoss]

The rounds on the belt look like 303 ball nasty.. in fact I think the Germans complained to the Convention about them.
My mg won't cycle wooden tips without a bfa, used in combat is an old wives tale imo if you pull one its probably hollow.

Eric

[cpt1992]

Wood tipped bullets

Your right! Bullet tips are hollow.

[blinky]

Almost every 32nd Division collection I've come across had at least one wooden bullet. I suspect that the men picked them up as souvenirs during the Occupation because of the stories they heard of the "nasty" Germans using them in combat.

[Valter Gorenc]

I don't think wooden bullets could be used in combat. Some 40-50 years ago, yugoslav army used wooden bullets for training ammunition (that produces only bang and smoke), and an officer in reserve officers school told me when these were fired, the bullets disintegrated in the barrel and only splinters came out. These were nevertheless dangerous for eyes if fired at close range, thats why wooden bullets were abandoned.

[Hoss]

I use them at gigs and never had any complaints but your right, once the gun flopped over with me still on the trigger and blew holes in sandbags so at very short range yes they could be unpleasant even with a bfa they are certainly not safe in the purest sense.
Some period mg tool boxes had them in along with dummies, why? I don't know.

Eric

[pzrwest]

I remember reading somewhere that the wooden tipped bullets were used in the training for the mg gunners. The wooden tipped rounds allowed the mg to fire in full auto mode, where with blanks the gun would have to be cocked after each round. There was a shredder attached to the end of the muzzle of the weapon to shred the wooden bullets as they left the barrel.

[Montgomery Burns]

well ,,Iron bullets are backup by facts so far ....






But wooden well ?












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