Esbit Modell 101 – Stuttgart-Untertürkheim
The name ESBIT is short for Erich Schumms Brennstoff in Tablettenform which translates to Erich Schumms fuel tablets. The main component in these tablets was hexamine, a fuel invented by which was discovered by Aleksandr Butlerov in 1859.
These tablets in the accompanying stoves where a popular way of heating food in the German army during world war two. The Esbit firm was founded in 1933 and three years later the first tablets where sold. In stead of many other ways of heating rations the fuel tablets have a few advantages, they burn on a high temperature, smokeless and don’t liquify whilst burning.
The Esbit model 101 fuel tablet stove is made out of aluminum and consists of five main parts.
The Esbit fuel is packed in a cardboard box which fits neatly inside the stove when not in use. In the box are two large tablets with multiple notches to break up in portions. The fuel is very efficient and burns smokeless with a high temperature.
The Esbit stoves are made at two different factories. The early during world war two manufacture was done in Stuttgart West (marked Stuttg. W.) until 1943. Somewhere in 1943 the Esbit factory continued production in Murrhardt Württ (marked Murrhardt / Württ).
Esbit continued their production postwar and is still in production today. The postwar variant is embossed D.R.P. & ausl. Patente. on the bottom part and lacks KOCHER Mod. 9 – HIER KLAPPEN. The main difference with these postwar stoves is the “teeth” that overlap in the two closing parts and the holes to allow airflow in the bottom part. Even though these are marked D.R.P. these are made postwar. The use of the D.R.P. continued after the war until somewhere in the 1970’s. Sometimes these postwar stoves are even marked with BUND for Bundeswehr or simply a NSN or Nato stock number.
This is the first model collapsible ESBIT stove; ESBIT Kochgestell 101. This was developed in the 1930’s allthough a precise date or patent number I have not encountered. I have pictured the ESBIT stove in such a sequent serie that shows the assembly of the stove.
It is embossed on the front with the following text:
ESBIT KOCHGESTELL
Ges. gesch.
Hersteller: ERICH SCHUMM
Esbit-Fabrik
Stuttgart-Untertürkheim
On the back it is embossed:
Gebrauchsanweisung
Träger u. Trägerplatte zusammenstecken.
Aufgebogene Seite der Trägerplatte rechts u. links in tablettenauflage
