BACKGROUND: Pionier personnel, (Combat Engineers), were issued assorted specialized equipment designed to meet their needs as the spearhead troops tasked with destroying enemy obstacles and creating forward defensive positions for their own troops in the face of the enemy. Besides the long handle shovels, picks, axes, saws, wire cutters and explosive devices there was also a specific Combat Engineer’s assault pack. The Pioniersturmgepäck, (Engineer’s Assault Pack), was introduced on March 27^TH 1941 and consisted of a central back pack and two attached side packs designed specifically for the unique engineering assault equipment and essential items. Combat Engineer personnel equipped with this pack replaced the standard issue K98 ammo pouches with the side packs. The Combat Engineer’s assault packs were only issued to one in five Engineer’s in a divisional Engineer battalion. This example is the left hand side pack designed to hold two, three kilogram, (6 pounds,2.6 ounces), explosive charges and four, five round K98 rifle ammunition clips. Of Note: As the spearhead troops, personnel serving with an Engineer unit, generally experienced higher casualties rates then standard units.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 9 3/8" tall, 8 3/4" wide, 3 1/8" thick, olive drab canvas construction bag with steel, leather and web fittings. The bag features a fold over top flap with two small, stitched on, rectangular, horizontally slotted blackened leather panels and two vertical blackened leather closure straps. The obverse top edge of the bag has two small, corresponding, rectangular steel panels with a raised, open, horizontal bar to each. For secure closure the raised steel bars on the top of the bag are inserted through the slotted leather panels on the fold over top lid and the vertical straps are in turn inserted through the raised bar. One side of the bag has four, vertically aligned, small, K98 rifle ammunition clip pockets with fold over top flaps with a single, ordnance blue/grey painted, sheet metal closure snap to each. The reverse of the bag has two vertical woven olive drab canvas web belt loops machine stitched in place. One side of the reverse has a horizontally placed, canvas web reinforced, steel "D" ring designed to attach the side pack to the central pack. The reverse of the pack has an unknown handwritten ink marking, "HW 994". The interior of the bag has two vertical compartments with a central olive drab canvas separating panel. The interior side panels each have a small, protective, fold over flap positioned under the fold over top flap. The bag is in overall very good condition with minimal age and usage toning and some minor surface spotting to the steel fittings. The bag has no visible manufacturer’s markings.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $732.00