Italian canteen...

[JPhilip]

Buon giorno,
Fratelli italiani, i need your help for ID an italian canteen.
On the left is the standard italian canteen, but what's the big one on the right ?
Is it a variant meant for Alpini or something else ?
Cover is made of crude "Grigio Verde" wool...
thanks in advance...
Grazie mille Ragazzi

[Paolo Marzetti]

The one at left is a 1 liter M.32 canteen, with khaki postwar cover.
The other at right is a 2 Liter M.32 canteen, with grey-green pre and
war-time cover, generally issued in North Africa but also in the Russian
campaign to various units on request.
In the pre-WWII period there were also the same canteens,mainly issued
for the Ethiopian campaign and for the Italian troops in Spain,
with a dark rust woollen cover.I'll try to post these canteens in the next
few days.Bye PaoloM

[JPhilip]

Hello Paolo,
thanks for your comprehensive answer...
I'm pleased concerning the 2 L M.32 canteen, just found it today.
About the khaki cover of the 1 L M.32 canteen being postwar, are you 100% sure of the info. I live near a former POWs camp where were some italian soldiers. After the war, some italian fieldgear was recovered from the camp and among the items there were three or four canteen with khaki cover (i mean with the moths there was almost nothing left of the cover, but just enough to see the khaki color).
Are you sure they didn't start to produce khaki cover before the end of the war ?
thanks...

[ARDITO]

The Italian canteen during the second world war had covered of wool grey green.

The only one that had a reddish brown coverage was that used during the African campaign.

[JPhilip]

Hello Ardito,
thanks for posting the pics...
could you provide a date concerning this change in the color of the cover ?
I mean "postwar" is not enough knowing that most italian fieldgear was the same prewar, during the war and postwar.
How do you make the difference between a grey leather frog produced by Sinigagliesi di Torino in 1942 and another one from same maker produced in 1948 ?
In what year the italians stopped the stitched grommets on the "Tela Mimetizzata" and replaced them with metallic grommets ?

Maybe i'm wrong, maybe the covers from the camp were fadded and i tought it was a khaki color, but some substantial back up is needed here...
Anyway, I would like more info about the 2 L canteen. I already know that this is a WWII item, due to the "Grigio Verde" wool cover, but who was it intented for ?
Mountain troops ?
Medical troops ?
or anything else ?
thanks...

[Paolo Marzetti]

...About the khaki cover of the 1 L M.32 canteen being postwar, are you 100% sure of the info. I live near a former POWs camp where were some italian soldiers. After the war, some italian fieldgear was recovered from the camp and among the items there were three or four canteen with khaki cover (i mean with the moths there was almost nothing left of the cover, but just enough to see the khaki color).
Are you sure they didn't start to produce khaki cover before the end of the war ?
thanks...

Well, I think Arditi has given you a correct answer.I know for sure the khaki
colour cover is postwar ,in fact the khaki wool was the same colour of the
wool of the coats issued in postwar time.If the colour is a faded reddish or
dark rust colour , maybe your 1Lt canteen comes from the African campaigns,
but frankly your canteen looks a real khaki cover from your photo.
About your Sinigagliesi Turin 1942 in grey colour frog and those marked 1948,
there are no differences, in fact the markings have been putted on in postwar
times by the companies that refurbished all the equipment issued for the new
republican postwar army. Generally the M.29 camo shelter halves have a different colour from the pre-and WWII ones.For what I know the metal grommets came after WWII on the new camo ponchos, that you can however
recognize by the different colour.(Luca, why don't we open a new thread on
the differences on these camo garnments ? I know you have the photos ready.I'll follow you at once...!).
About the 2Lt canteens they've been issued mainly in North Africa, but some
troops in Russia had that canteen too.I don't think the issue for particular
troops.I know they existed also in post-war period (with khaki colour cover)
with small alu tumbler. Let us don't forget that they existed also canteens
with Air force grey-blue colour wool covers, either in WWII or post WWII
period. Ciao PaoloM

[JPhilip]

If the colour is a faded reddish or
dark rust colour , maybe your 1Lt canteen comes from the African campaigns,
but frankly your canteen looks a real khaki cover from your photo.

Hello Paolo,
thanks for your answer. I was not talking about my 1 L canteen which definitly has a khaki cover.
grazie

[Paolo Marzetti]

Yes, I understand. It would be interesting to see those canteens with
khaki covers coming from that POW camp! Faded grey-green?I've seen
many of them...Let us hear other members...Bye, PaoloM

[Jmatchlock]

Luca, why don't we open a new thread on
the differences on these camo garnments ? I know you have the photos ready.I'll follow you at once...!).
Love to see that ! Thank You, Jay

[JPhilip]

Yes, I understand. It would be interesting to see those canteens with
khaki covers coming from that POW camp! Faded grey-green?I've seen
many of them...Let us hear other members...Bye, PaoloM

Hello Paolo,
unfortunatly i don't have these canteens. I've seen them 10 years ago...

[ARDITO]

"Luca, why don't we open a new thread on
the differences on these camo garnments ? I know you have the photos ready.I'll follow you at once"

Dear Paolo,
he, can face the matter, but I doesn't have the ready photos, serves me some time to do these.
I am happy to face queso matter well.
regards.

[Luca Ongaro]

"Dear Paolo,
he, can face the matter, but I doesn't have the ready photos, serves me some time to do these.
I am happy to face queso matter well.
regards.

Hi Luca, hope to see it soon.
Luca

P.S. Ciao Paolo