Very intriguing couple of nearly matching K98k RG34 cleaning kits
Id like to share with you two intriguing cleaning kits for the K98k/Gew41/Gew43/Stg44.Both sets have been found immediately after the War in the area near Bologna,come from the biggest and oldest Italian collection (no photos allowed but if you want to see what a 100% complete Feldlazarett or part of a WH Kavallerie stable looked like,just to make two example,there you can find a time capsule!) and are in 1000% as-found conditions;in fact when the gentleman who owns the collection they come from saw me opening one of them to check the contents he shouted Dont take the pieces out
they (the soldiers) left them like that!!!!!I cant tell whether he was saying that in a jocular mood or if he was serious;Ihope he wont mind if Ive violated these relics but Im not that obsessed
if he only knew about the gas masks!LOL
The first one is an Early War issue of the K98k Reiningungsgeraet 34 with its nearly matching contents made by HAWIG (Hauswirtschaft-Maschinen-Gesellschaft mbH, Berlin NW87) in 1940 and Its WaA100-stamped.Later on sets made by HAWIG were code-stamped cmr4# and WaA14-stamped.Other HAWIG-made pieces were stamped HAWIG and WaA94 but more on that later.
From the top in the first picture we can see:a Pre/Early-War oiler made from machined steel ( Mid-War oiler were made of Bakelite while Late-War ones were often crudely made from stamped sheet metal),a chamber brush,a bore brush,a floorplate takedown tool and a Mid-War issue chain pullthru.
The smaller compartment is still filled with a bundle the first type of blue-green synthetic cotton strings to be used instead of the square cotton cleaning patches.
An interesting note is that what we commenly refer to as the floorplate takedown tool was in fact a tool to remove stuck cartridge cases.The tilted pin for taking off the floorplate was a later addition that had to be executed by the unit armourer.
This set Its been Its almost totally matching and its nearly mint condition and matching contents apart from the pullthru may suggest that this kit has either been issued like that by HAWIG or that our German has either lost or replaced the original chain.
The first one is an Early War issue of the K98k Reiningungsgeraet 34 with its nearly matching contents made by HAWIG (Hauswirtschaft-Maschinen-Gesellschaft mbH, Berlin NW87) in 1940 and Its WaA100-stamped.Later on sets made by HAWIG were code-stamped cmr4# and WaA14-stamped.Other HAWIG-made pieces were stamped HAWIG and WaA94 but more on that later.
From the top in the first picture we can see:a Pre/Early-War oiler made from machined steel ( Mid-War oiler were made of Bakelite while Late-War ones were often crudely made from stamped sheet metal),a chamber brush,a bore brush,a floorplate takedown tool and a Mid-War issue chain pullthru.
The smaller compartment is still filled with a bundle the first type of blue-green synthetic cotton strings to be used instead of the square cotton cleaning patches.
An interesting note is that what we commenly refer to as the floorplate takedown tool was in fact a tool to remove stuck cartridge cases.The tilted pin for taking off the floorplate was a later addition that had to be executed by the unit armourer.
This set Its been Its almost totally matching and its nearly mint condition and matching contents apart from the pullthru may suggest that this kit has either been issued like that by HAWIG or that our German has either lost or replaced the original chain.
