BACKGROUND: The HwaA Heereswaffenamt, (Army Ordnance Office), or the H.Fzm, Heeresfeldzeugmeisterei, (Army Ordnance Department), both designations were used, was a subsection of the OKH, Oberkommando des Heeres, (High Command of the Army), that was responsible for testing, evaluation and eventual issue of all ordnance. Although development of a Selbstladegewehr, (semi-automatic rifle), had been undertaken by German armament factories as early as 1908, it wasn’t until the invasion of Russia in 1941, when the Germans came up against Russians armed with the quick firing Tokarev semi-automatic rifles that the Army Ordnance Department issued an urgent request for a comparable weapon. This led to the development of the Selbstladegewehr 41 in 1941 which, with modifications, evolved into the Gewehr 43 and eventually the Karabiner 43 in 1943. The Gewehr 43 and Karabiner 43 were basically improved modifications of the Selbstladegewehr 41. The GW41 and later the GW/K43's were all semi-automatic gas operated weapons with muzzle or barrel vents. The compressed combustion gasses activated the internal components when the weapons were fired. Individuals issued with the GW/K43 were also equipped with a single, specially designed, dual compartment, ammunition pouch which held two ten round magazines of 7.92mm ammunition and was designed to be worn on the individual’s load carrying, waist belt. Originally the GW/K43 ammo pouches were constructed in leather which was soon altered to ersatz fabrics in order to conserve leather.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Two, roughly, 4" tall, 8 1/2" wide, 2" thick, later pattern, ersatz, tan, rubberized fabric construction, two compartment GW/K43 ammo pouches with tan leather, dark grey canvas web and steel fittings. Each compartment has a fold over, top flap with machine stitched seams, tan leather side panels and a vertical, tan leather closure strap with a single, cut-out, stud eyelet machine stitched to the obverse. The closure straps attach to corresponding, machine stitched, leather reinforced, steel studs positioned on the front body of each compartment. The front of each compartment also has a machine stitched on, horizontal leather retaining loop. The machine stitched, outer seams all have a narrow, dual-ply, reinforcement strip of fabric, machine stitched in place. The reverse of each pouch has two, machine stitched on, vertical, dark grey, canvas web, belt loops and a central, rivetted on, leather reinforced steel "D" ring. All four dark grey, canvas web, belt loops have faint, white, inkstamps that appear to include waffen-amts and the manufacturer’s three letter code and date, "fuq 1945", indicating manufacture by Curt Vogel Cottbusser Lederwarenwerk of Cottbus in 1945. The pouches are in overall very good condition with light age and usage toning. Scarce GW/K43 ammo pouches.