“Coconut” Canteen – HRE 43
A small diversity of canteens used by the German army during the second world war. The Wehrmacht used a lot of different materials to produce these canteens. Aluminium and steel is used to form the flasks. Steel variants have been introduced with various finishes as early as 1942.
Also a wide variation of strap material is used from diverse sorts of leather and canvas. The covers are mostly made from felt which got really course by the end of the war. Later in the war italian uniform cloth known as gaberdine was used too. Also a 4th press stud from the cover was ommitted in the final years of production further simplifying the production.
Markings: HRE 43 on the flask and cup.
Maker: HRE indicates production by Heinrich Ritter, Esslingen
Year: 1943
Strap: Stitched reinforced holes.
Flask: Pressed wood “coconut” covered aluminium
Cup: Small cup, unpainted aluminium
Cover: Two different tones of webbing are used to construct the harness for this canteen.
Other notes: Note the small aluminum cup which never had any paint on it.
Please note these articles are for reference only and not for sale!
German_Relics collection
