Marsch Kompass Thread

pzjgr · Apr 3, 2018

Scored this beauty 2 weekends ago at the DACA show in Dallas from a guy walking around. He came up to my table on Saturday and mentioned he had a army compass, wanted to know if I was interested...I said sure, figuring it would be a US Army Corps of Engineers compass....

He came back Sunday, and pulled this out...I thought...oooh! I asked how much he wanted for it, he said $35, I said Yes, Please!

Makes a nice companion to my other like this, which is not cold proofed (The white "A" on the lid meant it was treated for very cold weather use), and is a little better made....

I should get pics of them together, along with my non-issue type compasses...These black ones were standard issue types, but many private purchase types were used also.

Rudi · Apr 3, 2018

He was right, an "army" compass. Gotta love deals like that.

pzjgr · Apr 3, 2018

Yep, he was right, it was an Army compass.... :thumbsup:

So here are my two issue types side by side...the earlier one is maker marked Krieger and Faudt, Berlin, while the second one is coded clk, who was F.W. Breithaupt & Sohn, Kassel.

The older one has a very nice reflector, highly polished, and mirror like...the clk's reflector is much poorer, and almost un-useable. Slight differenced in construction of card and arrows and such. Also the earlier one has a crinkle finish to the lid, while the clk is smooth.

And of course there is the cold weather mark on the clk.

Unfortunately the earlier one also has a broken chunk that where the hole of the lanyard is so the lanyard is epoxied in.

pzjgr · Apr 3, 2018

Here is what I believe is another style of issue compass, as it is coded cah...much different in design that the other...

pzjgr · Apr 3, 2018

And finally, a private purchase compass...."Marsch Kompass Jungend"....but definitely military as it is unit marked to the 7th Komp, Artillerie Regiment 27...part of the 27th Infantrie Division, then 27th Panzer Division.

Hambone · Apr 3, 2018

Cool! Can't beat that price Pzjgr! Pic sticky for ref.

pzjgr · Apr 3, 2018

Thanks Ham....if anyone else has different types of compass's post 'em up!

timothy · Apr 4, 2018

Nice kompasses and informative thread had one like the A marked one but never knew what it meant. timothy

ebeeby · Apr 4, 2018

I think I have an "A" compass around here somewhere. Was sold as Great War compass! What are they worth these days?
My favorites are the WWI English "low light" mother of pearl compasses with the lovely fitted leather case. Very English.

oldcorps · Apr 5, 2018

I've had some without the A with the cards reversed. These were graduated in mils and read counter-clockwise.

pzjgr · Apr 5, 2018

timothy said:
Nice kompasses and informative thread had one like the A marked one but never knew what it meant. timothy

Yes, when you come across equipment specially prepped/lubricated for very cold weather conditions they are usually stenciled with a letter "A", for Arktik...

Except for optics which had various color codes, usually you will see a "+" that is colored, different colors meant different set up and lubrication...there was standard, a cold weather version, and a hot weather version...but I don't recall off the top of my head what colors meant what...

oldcorps · Apr 6, 2018

These are dry card compasses and as such, wouldn't have any lubrication anyway.

pzjgr · Apr 6, 2018

oldcorps said:
These are dry card compasses and as such, wouldn't have any lubrication anyway.

Well, the compasses may not have been lubricated, but something was done to them to make the more suitable for cold conditions...

For optics, the hot weather versions had a very thick, viscous grease used that wouldn't melt away in the heat, and the cold weather ones they used a thinner, "wetter" grease that wouldn't solidify in the extreme cold.

In reality, I am sure they used whatever they could get their hands on, but the idea was there....

oldcorps · Apr 7, 2018

Optics are another matter entirely. My pre-war Breithaupt compass has the card numbered counter-clockwise but the cardinal points are in the standard configuration. The German vets I knew thirty or so years ago couldn't explain the need for reciprocal readings when we compared two compasses with both the standard and reversed mils graduations. My best guess is that the reversed cards were somehow related to artillery spotting. The artillery guy I knew claimed to be unfamiliar with the 98K because he had been issued a G.43 so I wonder if he had actually served another specialty. Anyway, he was of no help.

Hambone · May 26, 2019

Marsch Kompass Busch NIB

Been wanting a nice WW2 marsch kompass and found this Busch in the box with instructions, but missing the lid. About late 1940 / 1941 this compass was marked "cxn". I believe it is identical to those marsch kompasses. With the graduations it would appear to be a military compass. Perhaps in the box it was for commercial sale, perhaps it was bought and issued this way. Any further information is appreciated. I note that cost back then was still not particularly cheap. Busch was not in operation after WW2, so I assume this is a pre-1941 compass. Another thread on these:
http://www.k98kforum.com/showthread.php?15930-Marsch-Kompass

Any extra info or correction is appreciated. :happy0180:

pzjgr · May 26, 2019

That's a beauty Craig, very cool to find it in the box with the instructions!

I would say it's definitely commercial production/private sale....you can see the identical compass, but maker code marked, as you point out...

There were plenty of examples of private purchase compasses, which were bought and used...much like today, if you want better than issue, or you weren't issued something, you are free to buy and use private purchase stuff...I think I posted a private purchase type that was marked with an artillery regimentry company, so for sure that was military used...

So I think it's a perfect piece for a combat gear collection...

Hambone · May 26, 2019

Thanks Mike, I think the same. I think it is the same compass as the cxn marked ones, except with "Busch / Rathenow" in the little spot where "cxn" is. Thus I reckon it would be either made prior to the cxn code adoption in 1941 or it would be made at the same time, but marked with the maker name for commercial sales. It does have the military graduations, and they had one with different graduations apparently that was made for the Italian military.
http://www.compassmuseum.com/hand/hand_1.htm#BUSCH

On Busch:
http://www.compassmuseum.com/diverstext/profiles.htm#BUSCH

There is no reason to think Busch would not have made a version for commercial sales with military graduations though, heck about all of Germany at the time was militarized

Cheers,
HB

mauser202 · Jun 16, 2019

March compass

All ways thought these were cool and found these 2 reasonably priced.

pzjgr · Jun 16, 2019

Very nice, one regular issue, one marked for cold weather issue (of course it could be issued anywhere, but it was modified for reliable use in sub zero conditions...

CLG · Jun 16, 2019

The other theory is that the “A” denotes that the divisions are reversed, note that the markings go on in the opposite direction on the “A”version. I think this was done fairly late.

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