These are the standard Wehrmacht issue from 1933 on, replacing the 1909 type which carried 60 rounds as opposed to 30 in the later model. In this case, one is a Berlin product, the other being made in Vienna - a regular 'anschluss'! Although they are not strictly a pair, they have obviously been together for some time.

This is the standard German leather harness for supporting ammunition pouches carried either side of the belt buckle on the leather waistbelt worn by all members of the armed forces, other ranks at any rate, including naval and Luftwaffe units in ground roles. There is a faint but legible RB number stamped on one of the forward leather straps.

This is perhaps one of the rarest of the Luftwaffe parachutes, as the earlier versions were in white rayon for the paratroopers and the goods. These would have been used in operations such as the supply of Stalingrad during the siege, and other Luftwaffe supply drops.

Marked: 'Frostschutsssalbe // Wehrkreissanitarspack VI // Osnabruck // SS-Packung', also with 'Leere Tuben sammeln' ('collect the empty tubes' - the original recyclers!), this stuff was used to protect the lips and nose from the cold and possibly, in extreme conditions, the feet and hands. It would have been most useful on the Russian Front.

This particularly fine pair was made by Busch of Rathenow (East Prussia). The case is made by Hensoldt of Wetzlar and is marked with the Weimar Army acceptance eagle. The lenses are almost as they left the factory and the resulting vision extremely sharp. There is a 1944 date on the steel snap of the case, together with a code 'crn'.