Gasmask cannister without spare glasses compartment

[German_military]

Hello,
I bought today a interesting german gasmask cannister. It had no mask or straps.

I've never seen this type before. I was told that it was a late war type, but perhaps it's just a civilian type for example.

I can't take images at this moment, but some details are:
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- no compartment for the spare glasses (no remains either)
- The lid is also less high as normal

- a D for Wasserdicht at the bottom
- marked 44 at the lock


Can someone tell more about it?

Thanks,
Frank

[Grubhy]

Not civilian for sure. IMHO M38 gas mask cannister which has been damaged by removing spare lenses box. I've seen some of them used as ...Cigarette-cases

[me6_130]

No pics?

Carles

[German_military]

Hello,
Carles,
I do now! Here they are:

It is indeed possible that they removed the compartment, but why is the top of the cannister than less high as normal, and why are there no traces of the lid.

[German_military]

2

[German_military]

3

[anmarlodz]

late war made can . maybe something happen during manufacturing or was done wriong ( in purpose or accidentally ) and that's why it has no spare glasses box in it. Or simply it might been soem unfinished leftover.

[Uncle Goose]

That's a very interesting piece of very late war equipment. At one point supplies must have been very short and the manufacturer decided to cut corners and left out some element to save on material. This was not uncommon, I even have a S-Maske with a 1945!! stamp, they probably rolled out old stock to keep on producing at any cost.

[German_military]

Here you can see that it has a overall lower quality as a normal gas mask can

[German_military]

2

[Scrooge]

very very interesting!!! i have one with the same production flaws at the bottum and sides but mine has the normal lid and the compartiment for the spare lenses. I realy like your variation with the lower lid!! never seen before and without doubt a product of late war improvising and usage of the last bits of material they had. if you ever sell it, let me know.

[danmark]

Years ago I also had one of these! No stirrups for straps or lens compartment.
Here's what I know as a toolmaker ( a metal man ).... these thing were spot welded on and there is NO WAY possible to remove a spot welded item without leaving a telltale mark - in fact the thickness of the strap bracket compared to the metal thickness of the tin means that the tin would tear away if the stirrup were removed.

No, these NEVER had them in the first place!

I was told that they were for vehicle mounting and that's why there were no fitments but the complete scarcity of them fails to convince me ..... there must be a reason though!

Thanks for showing it - after all these years I wasn't mad after all!
Dan

[Uncle Goose]

The idea of vehicle mounting could be true, that would explain the lack of fitments. The scarcity could be because those gasmasks were not supposed to leave the vehicle at any time while not in use (much like fire extinguishers). Many were probably scrapped after the war leading to scarcity and maybe they were made for a few types of vehicles.

[JonB]

Interesting to see such an unfinished gas mask tin!

While production for mounting in a vehicle or simple late war manufacturing expediency are possibilities, in my opinion it is also possible that an item like this never left the factory before the end of the war.

Until we see better evidence of the vehicle mounting theory (how rare can these be?), or how a tin like this would be used in combat by a soldier, this jury member for one is still out.

Bear in mind the tin is marked 'Dicht', but it appears impossible that the lid could ever have contained the sealing ring that keeps the tin 'tight.

I am more inclined to believe that this probably contained some possessions of a post-war Herr or Frau in late 1940s Germany, a country that was very short of raw materials to the extent that it recycled any & every leftover component from wartime factories that had not been destroyed.

So, in my view, this is like the gas mask tin milk jugs, helmets as colanders/strainers, panzerfaust warhead parts as enamelled drinking cups, etc that are encountered, without always being recognised for what they are.

I guess the rarest possible gas mask tin is one that was used for the StG44/Vampir Infra-Red backpack set-up...

Thanks for sharing an interesting item in any event!
Jon

[German_military]

Hello,
Thanks for your help. There must be more of these out there!

Please remind these details:

1. it does have a serial number with paint on it
2. the lid is different (less high) than normal cannisters. So that supports theory that this one is specially made like this.
3. The canister is less detailed made. See comparison images.
So it's not just a "normal" cannister.

I've never seen a sealing ring before. Are they so thick, that they couldn't fit?