LW(FD) 1939-dated MATCHING SET;BAYO,BELT,BUCKLE AND....

[Manu Della Valle]

....ammo pouches that at the moment are still in the mancave!
This very interesting set has been found like that a few decades ago near Lucca,where in the last weeks of the War companies from several LW Feldivisionen fought against the Allied alongside the WH and WSS units.The old man found the belt with bayonet,leather loop,two K98 ammo pouches (whereas the ordinary LW "flieger" was issued only one as per regulations) and kept it like that.All the parts,excepting the bayonet (1942-dated),are 1939-dated and LBA-stamped (Luftwaffe Bekleidungsamt).In my opinion this set has been dropped by the soldier upon surrendering,but he kept the breadbag,water bottle and mess tin.
The belt is named to a soldier from Wien but I cannot tell whether he was the first owner of the belt or the last guy who carried the lot.
The prongs of the buckle have left their marks underneath the rearmost part of the flap with holes but the ALL the marks left by the prongs are very consistent,nearly identical,therefore I guess that the buckle has been on the belt forever and that either Otto Hofbaur has been his owner from the first to the last day getting thinner and thinner with every passing week or this belt has changed hands a lot of times in 6 years!It could as well be that the belt was worn OVER the thick,padded winter parka or coat by a thin guy,hence the various marks when the buckle was adjusted!
I just LOVE studying these time capsules, and finding something about the unit the soldier belonged to it's one of the most rewarding things IMO!
I took away the buckle to put it amongst the others and it went missing in the junk pile for a few years,therefore for a certain time the belt has had one of my "drop tails" in its place!This set is one of the most intersting things I've ever found and it's been one of the "options" for my complete LW(FD) Gefreiter complete uniform!Taken one by one the single parts are nothing special or particularly rare but any collector would be hard-pressed to find such a complete set at once,down to the ammo clips, thrown away by the old man many years before I could even dream to own it!
@Lenny...how do you like this one?
Cheers
Manu

 

[Lenny]

That is absolutely stunning @Manu Della Valle, exactly how I like them. For me, it's all about the history and the story of that particular soldier. That's why belts do it for me. I really don't like mint items that are unissued, sat in a store room. There's no history there....

That is a wonderful set, absolutely love it....

[Manu Della Valle]

Thanks @Lenny,glad you'vr appreciated that!
Cheers
Manu

[Mav352]

Truly beautiful set @Manu Della Valle, very nice to see like that. 

[Manu Della Valle]

Thank you Mav!
Cheers
Manu

[Desert Rat]

What can I say......SUPERB!!!