Pre-War / Early WW2 German M31 Breadbag UNIT MARKED & FIELD REPAIRED?

[komet45]

I recently found this breadbag at a local flea market in the bottom of a "junk box." It appears to be a mid-to-late 30s era production piece and has been repaired and modified from it's original form but still functions the same. The canvas material has a "blue-greenish" gray tone and shows considerable honest wear - I have left it exactly as I have found it. The original belt retention straps have been lost and replaced with what appears to be a soft, tan duck canvas style material. Of particular interest, the central strap that usually included a belt hanger hook makes use of a WW1 era Prussian tunic belt hanger. The rear side leather tabs and rings have been removed and visible, neat stitching holes can be observed. The exterior leather attachment straps have been removed from the top flap though the two attached to the interior side remain intact. There is a small hole that has clearly been stitched up. The interior of the bag still retains it's leather fastening strap and the aluminum buttons are sewn on with material that looks similar to string. On the interior side of the cover flap is the faint trace of what appears to be a handwritten name and a possible ink unit stamp. The stamp looks to read: "2. / E. J. R. 56;" could this mean "2nd Company of the 56th Infantry Regiment?" I have read that "J. R." is a common abbreviation for "Infantry Regiment," would the additional "E" denote "Ersatz?" The only other "EJR" unit marking I could locate was on this M31 recently offered for sale here: Heer breadbag unit marked 15. (E.). J.R. 69 – fjm44. I also could not find any other "field modified" or "field repaired" breadbags for sale or for reference, does the work on this bag look "War Time" or "Post-War?"

This is my first breadbag and I would greatly appreciate any insights and observations that you would be willing to share!

This is my first breadbag and I would greatly appreciate any insights and observations that you would be willing to share!

 

[Aaron]

All field modified items are anecdotal and are difficult to authenticate. Items that were useful to civilians such as zeltbahns, rucksacks, clothing bags, belts, etc. postwar were extensively modified and used well into the 80's, and its impossible to know when these things are done. My rule of thumb is if it is not comparable to other originals, it is postwar done. The imperial crown button looks like it is off the back hook of a imperial waffenrock or greatcoat, and the webbing is not ww2 german. An item damaged this extensively would have been reissued with new straps, not modified using the equipment d rings, as now a soldier could not hang his messkit or canteen from them. It appears to be marked to second company, Ersatz infantry regiment 56. Its still a nice collectible item in its own regard, but not something I would say saw use this way during WW2. This could have been a child's book bag, a woman's purse, a hikers satchel, or any number of things from May 9th 1945 to March 7th 2024.

 

[komet45]

The "imperial crown button" is in fact a WW1 era piece as mentioned, here is a link to a similar item:

WW1 Imperial German Soldiers Prussian Crown Belt Buckle Tunic Hook Ramp

This is an original WW1 Imperial German Soldiers Prussian Crown Belt Buckle Tunic Hook Ramp for sale. In good condition. Please see our other items for more original WW1, WW2 & post war British military badges for sale including otherWW1 Imperial German Soldiers Prussian Crown Belt Buckle Tunic...

www.britishmilitarybadges.co.uk

Where do you see "equipment d rings" used to modify this particular bag? The two aluminum rings seen on the cover are identical to those seen on the standard M31 breadbag and strongly appear to be original. The only non-original additions that can be clearly detected are the replacement belt straps. It still attaches to a standard field belt just like any other standard M31 breadbag. While I agree the bag can no longer carry all of the equipment a soldier would typically have in the field, we have no idea when the leather attachment tabs were lost. Little Johnny could have removed them in the 60s one day looking at Daddy's souvenirs from the War. They seem like a weak point on the bag and could easily be torn with little force if already worn; how many soldiers found alternative ways to carry their equipment as they had no other choice? All of the "modifications" made on this bag could have easily been done by hand in the field, which would not indicate extensive damage beyond repair. I can only imagine the nightmares of keeping the German military supplied, especially later in the War, and believe atleast a few soldiers in the Wehrmacht effected their own repairs on their equipment out of nothing less than pure necessity. Perhaps I poorly phrased it, can we say this bag has potential for a possible "field repair?" The dirt on it is beyond that of just storage and I'm not getting the lady's pocketbook vibes from it either

 

[komet45]

Here is a better shot of the rings and a leather belt equipment D-Ring for reference. My M31 canteen will attach to the upper aluminum ring on the cover flap but the secondary retention strap obviously cannot thread through the missing leather tab, thus not attaching exactly as intended. While imperfect, it still attaches.

My biggest concern with Post-War use is the reinforcement of proper period usage with these repairs / modifications. Why keep the same belt hanger system intact if you were going to use it as a book bag at school?

 

[pzjgr]

Aaron is correct, there is no way to tell if this was repaired during the war or post-war. I can guarantee you if it was done during wartime it wasn't done at a depot or unit level repair shop. No way would they have attached the D-rings to belt loops like that. Unit tailors could make tunics out of material, like out of Italian camo cloth, etc, they could have done a much better and correct repair on a breadbag. Also doubtful they would have access to some odd Imperial button. It might have been soldier done, it might have been done by some guys mom while he was on leave, it may very well have been done post-war.

There is absolutely no way to prove either way...its cool just as it is, and the unit mark is very cool.

 

[komet45]

Aaron is correct, there is no way to tell if this was repaired during the war or post-war. I can guarantee you if it was done during wartime it wasn't done at a depot or unit level repair shop. No way would they have attached the D-rings to belt loops like that. Unit tailors could make tunics out of material, like out of Italian camo cloth, etc, they could have done a much better and correct repair on a breadbag. Also doubtful they would have access to some odd Imperial button. It might have been soldier done, it might have been done by some guys mom while he was on leave, it may very well have been done post-war.

There is absolutely no way to prove either way...its cool just as it is, and the unit mark is very cool.

Pzjgr: Thanks for the reply and your observations! I fully understand there is no way to tell for sure what was done to this bag as no one on this forum was alive then and there. I was asking if other's had seen similar repaired or modified bags just for reference. In my 35 years of collecting I have learned that very few things are steadfast absolutes, especially concerning "field expedients."

Not sure where this notion of added D-Rings has come from; no D-Rings have been added to this bag. The two equipment rings seen on the bag are the original rings intended for use attaching equipment. The replacement retention straps have been sewn onto these rings, thus creating a "dual purpose" for them. The two rings on the backside of the pack have been removed along with their leather mounting tabs. While these rings are missing, the bag could still be mounted on a belt and carry a canteen. The mess kit attaches to the Y-Straps correct?

I never had any fantasy notions about this bag being "officially" repaired or modified at a depot level. The work is crude and has a strong sense of desperation and necessity about it....which really shoots down Post-War civilian use for me. It has been damaged and patched back together for functional use, nothing more. Easily could have been removed from a fallen Soldat by a crafty GI looking for a souvenir satchel. Who knows? The WW1 button is a kicker, and I will admit this could be a Post-War addition....but where did all the WW1 uniform stocks disappear to 20 years after the Great War ended?

The "junk box" this bag came from was clearly from one individual's estate. I scored several blue leather Italian Carcano ammo pouches from the same box - mild provenance?

 

[Aaron]

The "imperial crown button" is in fact a WW1 era piece as mentioned, here is a link to a similar item:

WW1 Imperial German Soldiers Prussian Crown Belt Buckle Tunic Hook Ramp

This is an original WW1 Imperial German Soldiers Prussian Crown Belt Buckle Tunic Hook Ramp for sale. In good condition. Please see our other items for more original WW1, WW2 & post war British military badges for sale including otherWW1 Imperial German Soldiers Prussian Crown Belt Buckle Tunic...

www.britishmilitarybadges.co.uk

Where do you see "equipment d rings" used to modify this particular bag? The two aluminum rings seen on the cover are identical to those seen on the standard M31 breadbag and strongly appear to be original. The only non-original additions that can be clearly detected are the replacement belt straps. It still attaches to a standard field belt just like any other standard M31 breadbag. While I agree the bag can no longer carry all of the equipment a soldier would typically have in the field, we have no idea when the leather attachment tabs were lost. Little Johnny could have removed them in the 60s one day looking at Daddy's souvenirs from the War. They seem like a weak point on the bag and could easily be torn with little force if already worn; how many soldiers found alternative ways to carry their equipment as they had no other choice? All of the "modifications" made on this bag could have easily been done by hand in the field, which would not indicate extensive damage beyond repair. I can only imagine the nightmares of keeping the German military supplied, especially later in the War, and believe atleast a few soldiers in the Wehrmacht effected their own repairs on their equipment out of nothing less than pure necessity. Perhaps I poorly phrased it, can we say this bag has potential for a possible "field repair?" The dirt on it is beyond that of just storage and I'm not getting the lady's pocketbook vibes from it either

This is what I mean by anecdotal, to a point we can only believe what we want about the item. You are just as free to draw conclusions on what this bag has been through, because neither of us can definitively prove it. Hitler could've stored his spare testicle in this bag. On the other hand, it could have sat in a depot unissued for the entire war, then beat to shite by kids playing army in the 70's. We'll never know.

 

[komet45]

Aaron: I am liking Hitler's Ball Bag more and more! Appreciate your grounding thoughts here, all too easy to let the imagination take hold and then you just might wind up believing you really do have Hitler's Sack!