Late War Entrenching tools with Presstoff covers made with recycled leather

[Manu Della Valle]

 

These two entrenching tools and carriers come from the same place near Erfurt*, Germany; where they had been found years ago with many others and a whole array of pioneer equipment,it most likely was a warehouse or something like that.The two carriers are mint and made by different makers.
Both have their leather parts made of recycled pieces.The ones on the carrier made by "fuq" (Cottbusser Lederwarenfabrik Curt Vogel KG,Cottbus,Wernerstrasse 62) are parts of recycled leatherware still showing the holes made by the needles used to sew them together,while the leather parts on the carrier made by "dkk" (Friedrich Offermann& Sohne,Bensberg)  look as they've been taken from used and/or damaged items,given the fact that they show some wear (especially the retaining straps)whereas the rest of the carrier is mint!
The carrier made by "fuq" has been found with its original spade still inside,dated 1943 and painted with a thick layer of textured black paint,a small part of which had to be scraped off to show the markings.Should somebody tell you that War-time spades weren't painted show him these pictures!
The carrier made by "dkk" has been given to me with a new,fresh-off-the-workbench spade dated 1944 found in the very same place.The latter won't entirely slip into the carrier since its edges are still rough not having been sharpened/deburred; a "sabotaged" dangerous mass-destruction weapon or lack of QC?We'll never know.I surely haven't run the risk to damage the carrier by showing the spade more than necessary and I haven't put a "finished" spade coming from God-knows-where into it either,I'm 101% against "improving" items!
The 1944-dated spade has been left unpainted and the rivets have been roughly ground flush.
The "dkk" set will be put for sale while the other will go with one of the M44 uniforms I'll keep!
all in all other two boring.meaningless items,mute testimony of how the "recycling bin" was part of any WW2 German factory towards the end of the War!
Cheers
Manu
*Erfurt is halfway between Bensberg and Cottbus and during the War a few Bekleidungs (Clothing) und Zubehor (Equipment) depots were located there,why on earth a piece made in a town near Berlin,Frankfurt and Dresden had been sent 350 kms westwards when there were  perfectly efficient "Amts" in Berlin,Frankfurt and Dresden  is beyond me!I'd have used the space on the lorry/boxcar for ammo,fuel,weapons and stuff!

[Manu Della Valle]

Afterthought;both carriers show use of recycled leather,yet they have been made by different makers nearly 600 miles apart and found  halfway from the respective "homes"!Since we know how the German loved to waste time and resources I wouldn't be surprised at all if both A and B sent their part to C in Erfurt to be assembled with pieces of scrap leather even if,truth be told, it sounds plain crazy and senseless!It could even be that A and B sent quantities of their unfinished items to C (subcontractor) to be completed because they just didn't have enough time or workers!
What about you guys?
Cheers
Manu

Edited September 16, 2016 by Manu Della Valle
the motherf ucking Italian autocorrector!

[Bil4338]

Beautiful pair!

I do like a nice fuq as well...1944 was a good year for them

[Mav352]

Both lovely examples @Manu Della Valle and with closed back carriers.

[Manu Della Valle]

Thanks @Mav352,
they're beautiful and  I find them particularly interesting and intriguing because they show how recycling was widespread in Germany!A friend of mine had a K98k baynet frog made of Italian "Grigioverde" leather...too bad the stitching is gone and only the leather parts remained....deffo worth sewing them back together!
Cheers
Manu

 

[Mav352]

Always worth repairing @Manu Della Valle.