WW2 German Canteen Reference Thread

[Scharf]

Excellent condition 1944 dated and maker marked MN round late stamp primed steel bottle, very good condition painted and primed "second pattern" MN43 marked steel cup, these are seen on late MN1944 and sku1945 marked canteens and are likely a rejected batch of 1943 made cups that were later refinished due to the later pattern dark green paint (compared to the earlier olive green), note stretch marks from stamping and weld spatter on cup handles that likely led to initial rejection, excellent condition gabardine cover, excellent supple black pigskin leather late type two piece strap marked RBNr. 0/0485/0002 indicating production at Franz Brehme, Walsrode (Hanover). Cap is uncommon early Type 1 pattern.

This is a good looking set, I agreewith the above observations. The 43 batch would be used up right till the end.

 

[Aaron]

A very nice AEMA canteen with webbing strap. Marked AEMA on bottle with poor stamping likely 1942 made, has long neck and is very rare unwelded body bottle (notice no seam), enameled and painted steel bottle is in very good condition and retains 95% of paint, strap marked "R&K" for Rahm & Kampmann Wuppertal Elberfeld Tetill und Lederwarenfabrik at the bottom and "AEMA 42" for 1942 production at the top, woolfelt cover marked "R&K" and marked by the manufacturer "AEMA 42" for 1942 production in very good condition, bakelite cup marked "gfc" for Julius Posselt, Gablonz an der Neisse, Sudetenland, 1943 dated, MPD code 1W/K, K indicates the usage of the material urea resin (certain type of bakelite), 1W is a redundant maker code, buckle is marked "EH" and olive green hook is marked "HD41" for 1941 production.

 

[Aaron]

Dated 1943 and maker marked G&CL (Gehardi & Co, Lüdenscheid) 1 liter aluminum bottle and steel cup in excellent condition, cup retains 95% paint, excellent unissued condition webbing ink stamped "C.A." for an unknown subcontractor with supple good condition brown leather, later light grey cover is ink stamped illgibly by unknown subcontractor, buckle is marked "C.A.&S." and tip is marked "HSB".

 

[Aaron]

1 Liter medical mountain canteen marked "ESB" and dated 1940, canteen bottle and cup retaining 95% paint are in excellent condition, supple leather strap and harness, harness is marked "K.u.B." and dated 1940, cover is excellent condition and marked "ESB" and dated 1940, subcontract stamp "K.u.B." and dated 1940.

 

[Aaron]

Mint flawless C&CW for Colsmann & Co., Werdohl marked canteen bottle, cover, and pigskin strap, cover retains ink stamps for both factory and cover subcontractor EA, strap is supple and intact with crisp stamp, bakelite cup has MPD code F7/S for an unknown maker with sawdust filler, cup has ejector pin marks.

 

[Aaron]

CFL (Carl Feldhaus Aluminium-und Metallwerke) marked and 1942 dated canteen bottle, cover, and strap, worn condition cover retains ink stamp for the factory, strap is supple and intact with crisp stamp, bakelite cup has MPD code 46/S for the maker Erich Wippermann, Halver i. Westfalen with sadust filler, cup has flash marks, hook has a name scratched into it.

 

[Aaron]

Flawless mint EEF marked and 1942 dated Ewald Eigenbrod Aluminium-und Metallwarenfabrik, Freiling canteen with fine felt cover and webbing straps and loops, cover manufacturer and subcontractor ink stamps are flawless, with rare 1942 dated Ku.B subcontractor stamp, strap retains Ku.B stamp, strap hardware uses LUX tips and D&C buckle, bakelite cup has MPD code 46/S for the maker Erich Wippermann, Halver i. Westfalen with sadust filler, cup has flash marks.

 

[Aaron]

Aluminum flask wrapped in wood paste and wood slivers or veneer and resin in excellent condition, rare 3-tone webbing strap is in very good condition with Type 2 roller buckle and Patent Ritter marked steel hook, leather neck loop is torn but holding in place, flask is marked DRGM (Deutsches Reichsgebrauchsmuster) meaning its design and use was registered and protected, HRE and dated 1945, D.R.P. angm., and Batch code 11, aluminum cup is in very good condition and is unmarked.

 

[Aaron]

Marked "G&CL" and dated 1939, canteen bottle and cup retaining 95% paint are in excellent condition, supple leather strap and harness, harness is marked "G&CL" and dated 1939, cover is excellent condition and marked "G&CL" and dated 1939, subcontract ink stamps are illegible but is stamped, dated 1939.

 

[Aaron]

Excellent condition 1944 dated and maker marked SMM (Süddeutsche Metallwarenfabrik, Mussbach) primed and painted steel bottle and cup, excellent condition cover, excellent unissued black pebbled leather strap was installed to complete this canteen, marked RBNr 0/0560/0156 for Rahm & Kamp; Kampmann, Wuppertal Elberfeld, Textil und Lederwarenfabrik.

 

[Aaron]

Very good condition 1944 dated and maker marked MN square early stamp primed steel bottle and painted and primed MN43 marked steel cup, bottle interior is excellent and spotless, very good condition woolfelt cover, good supple brown leather late type two piece strap with interesting dark grey hook and black rubber gasket.

 

[Aaron]

Very good condition 1943 dated and maker marked "RFI" primed steel bottle and painted and primed RFI43 marked steel cup, bottle interior is poor, very good condition woolfelt cover with mixed snaps, good supple black leather early type one piece strap with interesting olive green hook, added strap, cover, cup.

 

[Aaron]

Made 1943, unmarked AEMA enameled and painted steel bottle in excellent condition with weld seems indicating not being a seamless 1942 or marked 1944 example, 1943 dated enameled and painted cup in good condition retaining about 30% paint and 95% enamel, strap marked AEMA43 in worn but supple condition, cover in fair condition with several tears and stains but is the rare 3 snaps and riveted loops version, cup, cover, and strap were added.

 

[Aaron]

Mint condition 1944 dated and maker marked "ESB" for Eduard Sommerfeld Berlin, primed and green painted steel bottle and late dark green painted and red primed cup, excellent condition gabardine cover with mixed pebbled and smooth leather 2 piece strap with uncommon 1944 dated hook by MSS.

 

[Aaron]

Dated 1944, maker marked AEMA enameled and painted steel bottle in excellent condition and 1944 dated bakelite cup made by gfc (Julius Posselt, Gablonz an der Neisse, Sudetenland), MPD code 1W is a redundant maker code, 31 indicates an unknown material variation, brown 2-piece strap in very good supple condition with restored segment from the cap to the main strap that was previously missing being replaced with aged leather, gabardine cover in excellent condition.

 

[duzykarp]

Świetny wątek! Chciałbym dodać najnowszy znany mi przykład aluminiowej manierki M31 o pojemności 0,8 l, oznaczonej HJB 44. Niestety, nie udało mi się ustalić, którego producenta oznacza ten kod. Na pokrywie jest tylko oznaczenie EA, co jest dość typowe dla wcześniejszych produktów tego producenta. Co ciekawe, jednoczęściowy pasek jest znacznie grubszy niż standardowy. Bakelitowy kubek ma lekko brązowawy odcień i jest oznaczony 7M/S. Czy ktoś zna inne przykłady aluminiowych butelek o pojemności 0,8 l z datą 44 lub 45?

 

[Aaron]

Great thread! I’d like to add the latest example I know of an aluminum M31 0.8L canteen, marked HJB 44. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to figure out which manufacturer that code stands for. The cover is only marked EA, which is actually pretty typical for that maker’s earlier stuff. Interestingly, the one-piece strap is much thicker than the standard type. The bakelite cup has a slightly brownish tint and is marked 7M/S. Anyone know of other examples of 0.8L aluminum bottles dated 44 or 45?

That's a fantastic rare canteen. There are HJB steel cups out there that are presumably belonging to these, though I have no reason to doubt your cup is original to the canteen. The cups marked with MPD code 7M/S are almost all brown examples. No one knows this code unfortunately, canteen and messkit collecting is in its infancy in terms of information available. EA is a common subcontractor code seen across all the makers it seems, marked on both straps and covers. On Late canteens I have seen both comically thick and thin leather used, this one is very nice. This maker only makes aluminum bottles but made aluminum and steel cups as far as I know, with the earliest cups and bottles being dated 1942.

There exist GNL44, EEF44, and CFL44 1L's but for 0.8L I have only seen the RBNr and SMM44 examples.

Can we get a better photo of the cup and MPD Code added to your existing post?

 

[duzykarp]

Thanks for the opinion and the chunk of knowledge. I actually bought it without the cup (everything else is original). I also came across photos of the steel cup version. I tried fitting a steel cup from another maker, but the strap turned out to be too thick. I think if it had originally come with a steel cup, the strap would either need to be narrower or you'd see some warping. So I'm guessing they were also issued with bakelite cups. I also found some pretty early bottles from this manufacturer dated 37 and 38.

I did a deep dive but didn’t come across those examples. Thanks!

Of course, I can add better photos of the cup and the MPD stamp. I also have another cup with that 7M/S mark in a more brownish shade.

 

[Aaron]

Undated and unmarked bottle primed steel bottle in very good condition, uncommon brown bakelite cup marked with MPD code 7M/S for an unknown maker with sawdust filler that was broken and then repaired by myself, unmarked black pebbled strap is supple with galvanized buckle and uncommon Czech made hook marked and dated MSS 1944, woolfelt cover is worn with several tears to stitching, and is made of very soft thin woolfelt with large patch on the back.