I just posted a bunch of my German personal and ration items on the Collection Forum. I still have a few items I'd like to verify before adding them to the threads. Here are 3 rather undescript bags that were found over the years in Germany. Nothing says they're military but they do resemble the iron ration bag. None are marked. I pulled some nice info about the bag from this site-
http://users.adelphia.net/~erstezug/LandserItems.htm
The article reads:
If you look through enough German Servicemen's Soldbuchs or Clothing Lists, one item will appear again and again: "Zwiebackbeutel". Unlike a lot of the accessories issued to the Landser, this little article appears to have survived the entire war - you are as likely to find it being issued in 1945 as it was before the war. In addition, it didn't change much; it was the "possum" among the dinosaurs of Fritz's equipment realm - dull and almost inconsequential, but never extinct!
The Zwiebackbeutel was used to store the soldier's supply of Zwieback which was part of his Eiserne Portion (Iron Ration). Zwieback was a type of vitamin-enriched "hardtack", shaped like a giant Ritz Cracker. The Soldier's supply amounted to 250 grams, and this was stacked in the Zwiebackbeutel which is shaped to hold the stack.
We have examined two originals - one prewar, and one late war. In all important respects, they are constructed the same. They are of two-piece construction, with a long rectangular piece wrapped around to form the sides of an open-topped cylinder, and a round gusset to form the bottom. A hem around the top also serves as a guide for a cotton drawstring. The resulting bag is about 5 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter. The early-war specimen (illustrated) is made from a light grey cotton twill (like the linings in Swedish tunics), and the late war version is made from the same material in a light greyish-green. The early one is marked H.B.A. (Heeres Bekleidungs-Amt, or Army Clothing Bureau), 1934. The late one is marked with an illegible RB Nr.
Now heres a photo of a reproduction-
http://users.adelphia.net/~erstezug/LandserItems.htm
The article reads:
If you look through enough German Servicemen's Soldbuchs or Clothing Lists, one item will appear again and again: "Zwiebackbeutel". Unlike a lot of the accessories issued to the Landser, this little article appears to have survived the entire war - you are as likely to find it being issued in 1945 as it was before the war. In addition, it didn't change much; it was the "possum" among the dinosaurs of Fritz's equipment realm - dull and almost inconsequential, but never extinct!
The Zwiebackbeutel was used to store the soldier's supply of Zwieback which was part of his Eiserne Portion (Iron Ration). Zwieback was a type of vitamin-enriched "hardtack", shaped like a giant Ritz Cracker. The Soldier's supply amounted to 250 grams, and this was stacked in the Zwiebackbeutel which is shaped to hold the stack.
We have examined two originals - one prewar, and one late war. In all important respects, they are constructed the same. They are of two-piece construction, with a long rectangular piece wrapped around to form the sides of an open-topped cylinder, and a round gusset to form the bottom. A hem around the top also serves as a guide for a cotton drawstring. The resulting bag is about 5 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter. The early-war specimen (illustrated) is made from a light grey cotton twill (like the linings in Swedish tunics), and the late war version is made from the same material in a light greyish-green. The early one is marked H.B.A. (Heeres Bekleidungs-Amt, or Army Clothing Bureau), 1934. The late one is marked with an illegible RB Nr.
Now heres a photo of a reproduction-
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