Canteens

[gnadenlose]

...and ten minutes ago a visitor gave me another 41 as a present. It's missing everything and has the strange screw cap. It fits on perfectly like the originals (I mean black plastic and brown bacelite caps) but I've never seen one like this before. Does it ring any bells?

[Michael Kuligowski]

Today I got the coco which is the "mintiest" one I've ever held in my hands. This one was found a month ago in the attick in my home town. It's never had any liquid in it, has no scratches etc. All parts that painted are like brand new. My hands still shake

this is a great find - such a early coconut canteen in this condition !!! any markings on the small leather strap around the neck ??? there should be some !

[MULON]

Hey guys...look here.....
New entry in my collection....

[pzo]

Feldflasche

MULON, You are getting too close. I feel Your breath behind my back I wonder who will first get 31 dated, bingo score Congrats! Those early examples are not easy to find. I bet they were produced in small quantities.

[pzo]

Canteen

Summary

[gnadenlose]

any markings on the small leather strap around the neck ??? there should be some !

No, nothing. I went through my other cocos and found nothing on the leather straps

[corporalSteiner]

No, nothing. I went through my other cocos and found nothing on the leather straps

nor me. care to show us your stamped neck strap?

re other pic...was that 45 water bottles? is so, er, why so many...?have you any gaps in your collection?

[pzo]

canteen

nor me. care to show us your stamped neck strap?

re other pic...was that 45 water bottles? is so, er, why so many...?have you any gaps in your collection?

It looks like 45 for today. Why so many? I like them. A lot of gaps. More canteens I get and more informations about them, more gaps I see. I do not even know if it is possible to totally embrace this area.

[gnadenlose]

MULON, You are getting too close. I feel Your breath behind my back I wonder who will first get 31 dated, bingo score Congrats! Those early examples are not easy to find. I bet they were produced in small quantities.

I have one drinking cup marked ZPSFZ and dated 32, the earliest bottle I have is dated 35 (VDNS), earliest screw cap 34 (G&CL).

[MULON]

Summary

What a nice "summary"

[kerryboo]

Here are a couple of oddities from my collectio, sadly very badly photographed!

[kerryboo]

The right-hand bottle has a somewhat baggy three popper cover, of cheap material with a wool inner side. The bottle is of an unusual red tone, more towards brick-red than most and is unmarked. The real oddity is the strap arrangement. The cap is of alloy, marked RFI 40, and fixed to a brown leather "one piece" strap. The strap-retaining loops are rivetted to the cover and I cannot figure how it could have been replaced, as the rivets are tight and do not leave room for the strap and buckle to be removed.

[kerryboo]

The second bottle, which I may have posted before, is completely factory-sewn into an ersatz cover. The cap is red-painted steel and what I can see of the bottle is green-painted. The cover shows heavy fading around the green painted, (inside and out), unmarked, steel cup, all held together by a two piece brown leather strap. Aybody else come across these combinations, or have similar in their collections? I know that late-war conditions made for many variations and economy measures, but these are the only ones of their kind which I have seen.

[whsammler]

Canteens.

Kerryboo.

First of thanks for posting your 2 canteens.

The late war canteens are in a realm all their own...with so many variations on materials and construction etc its always an adventure collecting them.

You asked about the unit with the 1 section strap and the alloy bottle cap...I have a feeling this may have been replaced at some time during the war or post war even. The only reason I say this is...many if not all late war canteens that I have seen or have in my collection use a pressed steel screw cap that is red in colour or a black Bakelite/plastic screw cap. They also have a mix of strap types and materials. I have seen black pig skin straps used in 1 and 2 sections I have also seen natural leather (not dyed black) in only 2 sections never in 1. On early war canteens (pre 43) a single strap is the norm. I have also seen a mix of leather materials used for the cover loops...pig skin, natural leather, pebbeled leather, regular leather etc...some sewn some rivited.

Your strap may have been replaced back when the leather was still soft and supple so it would have been easier to manipulate through the fittings etc....this is just a guess not cold hard fact.

The second canteen you show that has the sewen on wool/canvas cover is very interesting indeed and if you can....please post some more detailed photos as I have never seen this configuration before.

Once again thanks for sharing.....& I hope I have answered some questions for you.....

[gnadenlose]

@Mulon: I went through my bottles and found I was wrong- the ZPStZ drinking cup, which in my "timeline" is under 32, is actually 37. The ESB 32 is something I don't remember where I got the info, probably someone sent me this marking.

Some people say that one should not buy a story but the nice item itself. I only buy canteens that are found in my country, no matter what condition (I have only 2 or 3 canteens which came from abroad). Last night was no different. A guy called me and offered a canteen. So went over to him and saw a beautiful RFI 40, which had the original owner's name written on top strap, back strap, cup and screw cap. And then the story began: Karl Stieldorf was the German soldier, who was fighting in Estonia. Young Karl met the Estonian girl, they fell in love etc.etc. When German army retreated from Estonia in autumn of 44, Karl decided to stay- love was stronger than fear. Some time after the war's end he was captured by Russians and that's where his traces disappear. But the story itself continued, cos the guy who was talking this to me, is Karl's grandson. Some ten years or so ago he heard the story himself for the first time and also found out that many of Karl's fieldgear is still there, in his granny's house. I saw also Karl's gas mask with cannister, bread bag, belt with SS buckle, some unknown pouch (probably compass) and there sure is more. The canteen, cup and cap are marked RFI 40, straps K.u.B. 40; unfortunately the rust has done it's work and I can't open the buttons, but I can see the date 40 also inside the cover.






What does that number after the name stand for? N13630/??K- how should I read or understand the letters/figures that I marked with "?"? I'm asking because the same kind of unreadable stuff is on one of my other canteen too: looks much like 95760/SS