BACKGROUND: The German army developed a wide variety of assorted sized ordnance ranging from the 7.65mm caliber pistol rounds to the 88mm caliber anti-aircraft/anti-tank rounds to the enormous 80cm caliber railway artillery rounds with specific tactical goals depending on the caliber, range and mobility of the particular weapon. The development and production of German army ordnance was under the supervision of the HwaA, Heereswaffenamt, (Army Ordnance Office), which was a subsection of the OKH, Oberkommando des Heeres, (High Command of the Army), and was responsible for testing, evaluation and eventual issue of all ordnance. The HwaA would issue all ordnance to a units Quartiermeister, (Supply HQ unit/Quartermaster), which contained the units Administration, Medical, Veterinarian, and Transport officer’s and its main responsibility was the control of all supplies to the forward troops including all vehicle fuel, and lubricant requirements as well as animal feed and rations and ammunition and accessories. Of Note: Although most of the ammunition cases were produced for specific ammunition after original issue they could be utilized with a wide variety of assorted ammunition as required. Of all the ordnance produced by the Germans probably the most common was the standard 7.92mm caliber service cartridge that was used with most bolt action rifles, the semi-automatic rifles as well as the MG08, MG08/15 the MG34 and MG42.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 12 1/8" x 5 1/8" x 3 1/2" mid-weight, natural tan, cardboard construction ammo box with a stapled corner seam, containing twenty roughly, 3 3/8" x 2 3/8" x 1 1/4" individual, mid-weight, natural tan, cardboard construction 7.92mm caliber ammo boxes. The larger box has a woven, off-white, canvas strap with two black and one red interwoven stripes and a dual pronged, open rectangular, black painted, sheet metal "Prima", buckle, to one side and one end. The strap is inserted through two, small, metal reinforced slashes on one side of the box and serves double duty as a carrying and closure retaining strap. The box has a removable lid to one end secured by the buckled strap. The removable lid has a small, white paper, diamond shaped label glued in place with black printed script, "h-Ma. Bamberg", presumably indicating Heeres-Magazin Bamberg, (Army Depot Bamberg). The larger box has black printed script, "Tragschlaufe" (Carrying loop) and a glued on, contents label with black printed script to one side. The script to the contents label includes, "Patronen s.S. (Heavy Steel Cartridges), and additional letter and numerical designations. The smaller box all have the same matching labels as found on the larger box and each small box would have contained fifteen rounds for a total of three hundred rounds. All the components are in overall very good condition with the larger box having a couple of small tears. Scarce cardboard ammo box.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $234.00