BACKGROUND: 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. The development of a German sub-machine gun can be traced back to World War I when the requirements for a light weight, quick firing, close combat weapon which could be utilized by a single man was needed in the close quarter, static warfare of the trenches. The primary weapons of the time, the slow firing, repeater rifle and the relatively immobile, machine gun were found insufficient and the Spandau Rifle Testing Commission began research on developing a sub-machine gun in late 1915. In 1917 Hugo Schmeisser, then in the employ of the Theodor Bergmann Weapons factory in Suhl, developed the first German, fully automatic, sub-machine gun, designated the MP18/I, which was to be the forerunner of all the MP’s to follow. In August 1938 the German army adopted the newly developed MP38. Further developments and improvements and the need for a cheaper, mass produced, weapon resulted in the introduction of the MP40 in April 1940. Individuals equipped with the MP38/40 were issued a pair of specially designed, ammunition pouches which each held three, thirty-two round, stick ammunition magazines. The pouches were issued in pairs with the left hand side pouch having the addition of a small pocket stitched to the left side for the speed loader. The MP38/40 ammo pouches underwent a single modification with the early pattern pouches having a "D" ring on the reverse attached directly to the pouch while the later pattern pouches had the "D" ring on the reverse attached by a horizontally extended tab.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Later pattern, left hand side, coarse, ordnance blue/grey canvas construction, MP38/40 ammo pouch with machine stitched seams, blackened leather and steel fittings. The pouch is roughly, 24cm tall and 14.5cm wide and 38mm thick, with three, vertical, magazine pockets with fold over, top closures flaps. Each of the fold over, top flaps have a horizontal, stitched, seam to the reverse and a stitched on, vertical, blackened leather closure strap with a single, cut-out, stud eyelet to the obverse. The closure straps attach to leather reinforced, steel studs positioned on the front of the pouch’s body with corresponding, stitched on, horizontal, leather retaining loops. The pouch has an additional, small, pocket stitched to the left side, designed to accommodate a speed loader. The side pocket has a fold over, top flap with a stitched eyelet, and corresponding, leather reinforced, steel stud to the body. The reverse of the pouch has two, diagonally angled, stitched on, blackened, leather, belt loops and the later type, extended, blackened leather reinforced, steel, "D" ring attached to the top right corner. There are no longer any visible markings, they are most probably there but now obscured by age or wear. Nice complete worn and used example.