Newbe wanting info on Last dich production uniform and equipment.

[reidmuller]

Hi
this is my first thread on this forum im 18 years old and come from England dont get me wrong i know my stuff . I have been collecting since i can remember but have now dicided concentrate my collecting on late war equepment and uniforms.
So far i have an M44 tunic it has a brown color to it and all is correct about it and is my first real buy and i love it .I also have a deact MG42 dated April 45 and lots of other kit that will most probably be show on here in time. But my main question is what was changed late war? I know the bread bag was with a pocket for the cleaning kit.
I have seen some M45 boots made of canvas with wooden soles are these for real?
What lether equepment changed? I know they used web belts and the like but did they change the k98 pouches? aAso i have been told of Plastic belts?
I assume the Gasmask dident change and E-tool, Canteen and Mess tin?
Did they change the grenades i have an M43 one was this the last type? Also mines was the M43 mushroom mine the last model mine?
Also late war the K98 lost the bayonet lug does this mean they issueing bayonets?
Any thing else you lot can think of?
Thanks in advance Adam

[CWP]

The mess tin changed in about 1944, the rolled edge of the "plate" portion was left raw and the attachment points for the wire bail changed.

The canteen changed as well. Late war canteens are made of enameled steel (red or green) and had a cap of bakelite or stamped steel. They had enameled steel or bakelite cups and artificial leather straps (Presstoff).

Leather equipment was replaced largely with artificial leather late in the war. Also they started issuing leather EM belts without the tongue, the holes were punched directly in the leather. There was also a rare belt made of layers of fabric stiched together.

The M44 bayonet appeared in 1944. This is quite different and very rare and expensive.

In 1945 they were making rifle slings from web or fabric material. There are also late war zeltbahns with stiched leather grommets.

Chris P.

[Michael Kuligowski]

I believe we can add:
- blue enamel steel canteens
- black or green enameled mess tins
- paper belts
- printed insignia
- most stuff beeing made of paper.. webbing... commonly riveted - instead of sewing....

ok.. thats all for now.. maybe I will come up with more later

[CWP]

Sometimes it seems that there is an almost endless variety of last ditch material from the last year of the war. I never saw a blue enameled canteen, if I did I would buy it! Some more examples I can think of:

-Straight-handled E-tool carriers made out of stamped metal

-EM belt buckles with a phosphate finish

-Tunic buttons with a piece of wire soldered to the back running the length of the button

There are also rare one-off type acts of seeming desperation. I have an Army belt and buckle that came from a veteran's footlocker. The belt is a strip of brown leather that was obviously cut from some larger piece of equipment. There are stitch holes in the leather from before it was a belt. It has a crude riveted metal catch and there is only one set of holes punched into the belt to hold the buckle (it is not adjustable).

Chris P.

[Wesley's Dad]

Last Ditch Canteens

More late war canteen details one can look for...

Junkie recycled cloth covers, often pooly fitting, with riveted strap loops in place of stitching

Smaller, reduced height steel cups with and without handles.

Reduced amount of leather used in the make up of the harness. Specifically, the full continuous loop of leaher that went all the way around the bottom of the canteen was omitted

Enjoy,
Mike

[Michael Kuligowski]

Sometimes it seems that there is an almost endless variety of last ditch material from the last year of the war. I never saw a blue enameled canteen, if I did I would buy it!

well - there You go:
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...&postcount=116
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...&postcount=117
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...&postcount=118
cheers !

[reidmuller]

thanks for the replys so far

i knew about mess tins changing to steel but dident know they were left raw is that like the m42 helmet or is it more rolled?
do you have some photos of the m44 bayonet as this is compleatly new to me.
paper belts are these the presstoff leather you are talking about or someting different?
printed insigna is this both the eagle on the right chest and collor tabs? any photos?
and the E-tool with metal carrier is this the leather cover but in metal?
thanks so far Adam

[stroh]

Adam,

The late war M38 gas mask canisters had the unique features;

The vertical metal sleeve on the inside of the canister was omitted.

The spring used to hold the anti fogging lenses in the lid compartment was omitted and a sheet metal bar that was part of the lower compartment stamping replaced it.

The 'knob' that secured the spring loaded catch on the outside was replaced with a piece of crimped sheet metal.

I have seen long and short canister straps with a piece of vulcanized rubber at the point where the strap will rub against the tab on the canister. These straps are stamped on the rubber with a maker code and '44'. I have aslo seen the short strap, with similer construction and markings, having a thick loop, rather than the solid metal piece, that hooks onto the belt.

Late war canteens will have a thin wool cover referred to as 'sackcloth'. My 1945 canteen has a OD painted bottle with a red (primer color) sheet metal cap, undyed simplified leather harness, full size metal cup painted OD on the outside and primer red on the inside and a brown sackcloth cover.

Regards,
Ed

thanks for the replys so far

i knew about mess tins changing to steel but dident know they were left raw is that like the m42 helmet or is it more rolled?
do you have some photos of the m44 bayonet as this is compleatly new to me.
paper belts are these the presstoff leather you are talking about or someting different?
printed insigna is this both the eagle on the right chest and collor tabs? any photos?
and the E-tool with metal carrier is this the leather cover but in metal?
thanks so far Adam

[djpool]

I don't really have much to add to whats already been said. I thought it might be nice to show some pics of equipment that came out from mid to the end of the war.Here are a few of my items:

Breadbag with pocket for cleaning kit


some belts.Top ones made from paper and the bottom one does away with the tongue. Holes are punched into the belt to attach the buckle:



orange butterdish



dated 44



m42 bayonet frog

[djpool]

43 dated canteen



m1944 low shoes



Inserts for shoes/boots



messkit



dated 45