question to mortar collectors...

[Gran Sasso]

thanks to all replies , that's how it looking before owner changes if anybody interested you can pm me

I sent you a PM back then, but no never replied...

[Bjørn]

Good.
But I want to ask you one important thing: sling for sight is "real"? Is it have any markings?
Or can you show it more close?

I ask because I never see before leather sling without hooks for RA-35 box.

Hello. Tanks for the interest.

I have no idea if the sling on the Richtaufsatz box is original to the box. However it is with out a doubt of German ww2 vintage. The strap came with the box when I bought it. The strap is marked with "jsd 1942"









The production year of the box itself matches the 1942 dated sling:

[Bjørn]

Anyway - I have since last time I posted here, done a light restoration of the parts I bought from jevgenijss.

It turned out quite well I think









I have here edited one new, and one vintage picture together for comparisment. "Then and now"

[kursant504]

Thanks for fotos!

I think that sling is real. Try to find WaA-markings on it.
But is it really for RA- it`s a question...
I will looking my fotos, maybe I have pass something...

WaA14 jsd G.Reinhardt Berlin 1941

Code: jsd
Reinhardt, Gustav
Lederwarenfabrik
Brandenburgerstr. 72-73
Berlin SW 68

[Bjørn]

Thank you for the nice reference picture
I have just looked carefully over the sling, but I was not able to find any WaA markings on it.

The sling seem to have followed the box for a long time thou. It has taken up perfect form of the D-rings on the box, where it is folded over and is buttoned together.
as you can see of the pictures I posted, the box it self have had several touch-ups in the paint trough the years. There are some spots here and there, with green paint on the sling too. (The Richtaufsatz and it's box have seen postwar use by the Norwegian army, as well as the "werferröhr" or firing tube itself)
But this does not give any proof, that the sling originally belong to the box. I'd like to know more about this too. This is by the way, the only such box I have ever seen with any sling attached.
These mortars were taken out of use from the Norwegian army in the mid 90's. Only a handfull escaped the furnace. I have been told that around 15 complete Mortars were de-activated, and sold to weapons collectors and museums here in Norway. There were a few more tubes, than bipods and ground plates that survived. I think my tube is one of these "loose" tubes. As far as I know, only 6 or 7 of these mortars remain in norwegian collections. The rest has proberbly been sold out of the country.

[Bjørn]

I also got a couple of wurfgranaten, and also some lifting charges for the grenades. (The grenades are of course without any explosives)

[Bjørn]

...

[kursant504]

I have looked all photos of s.Gr.W.34 that I have. Also I look all my original german books(one of them was printed exact at 1942).
And nowhere I see leather slings....I can say more: all RA-boxes have Webbed slings with "wide" aluminium clasps.

[Bjørn]

That sounds very interesting. Can you post any pictures of the original sling for reference? I have never seen a sling like that and it would be nice to know what to look for.



Greetings
Björn

[kursant504]

ok, here some fotos.
Also I can say that this sling is the same as on sights for german MGs (foto №3).

[WWIIBuff]

Your restoration is very nice Bjorn. I am jealous.

I would love to find a mortar for my collection someday. Congratulations!

[Bjørn]

Hello.
Thank you for the nice comments, and thanks for the pictures of the original sling. I believe that the sling attached to my optics case, is a sling wich belong to a binoculars case.

I have since the last time, found some more nice things that goes with the mortar.

Here is the small toolbox, wich was carried in the belt of one of the mortar crew:

[Bjørn]

I have also just completed the first of two early metal cases with grenades

[kursant504]

Fantastic!

You need a paper table for the little box:

[Bjørn]

Very nice toolboxes you show here

Yes, unfortinently, the paper inlay with the contents list is gone from my toolbox.
The cellophan plasic window is still present however.
I have good pictures of the original contents paper tag, and I have been thinking about making a new paper tag to put in its place. I have seious doubts that I will be able to find a loose original tag to put in my toolbox.

Greetings
Björn