penciling inside gas mask canister lens case

[StoffelKeere]

Greetings, new to the forums. Didn't find a 'read this before posting' thread so correct me if I don't follow proper etiquette. I did a search on this subject and didn't come up with anything similar, so my apologies if its a common request.

I've had this canister sitting on my desk for years; I found it in a field in west texas years ago, barely sticking out of the ground. I know there are reenactors who have been around that area before so I'm assuming it was a piece of equipment that got dropped.

Anyways, I was showing it to someone yesterday when I noticed some writing inside of the spare lens cap. Unfortunately I haven't been able to figure out what it says. It looks like a name and possibly serial number much like we do in the military now with all of our gear, or maybe a collectors name in case it got lost. To me, the name looks like Alfons Weiss/Weihs, in some kind of kurrent script. I was wondering if someone here could help tell me what it means/was used for.

[Richie B]

Does it say "Ogefr" - Obergefreiter.

.. and welcome to the Forum

[StoffelKeere]

That was my assumption, but I've rarely seen a marking with rank. Then again, I know nothing about marking regulations(of if there were any) within the german military at the time.

If the name is Weihs(an uncommon name) I've only been able to come up with one record of that name in a days search, born in 1907 with no death date or issuance.
If the name is Weiss(a common name) someone pointed me to a document from 1945 showing a Alfons Weiss being captured at a POW and shot in the leg trying to escape. Doubting its the same person, but I thought it would be cool if I could track down the actual person it belonged to whether he served in ww2 or the east german military.

[JPhilip]

That was my assumption, but I've rarely seen a marking with rank. Then again, I know nothing about marking regulations(of if there were any) within the german military at the time.

Hello,
The rank is a common feature for such markings, especially on Gasmask sets. The FPNummer is also a common feature. Of course there were regulations that indicated how and where the item should be marked but it stopped with the war. Military without regulations is not military....
Thanks

[Adrian Stevenson]

The Feldpost number is for:

06789



(Mobilmachung-1.1.1940) Korps-Kommando XVI. A. K.

(15.9.1940-31.1.1941) Gen. Kommando XVI. A. K., dann Panzer-GruppeKommando4,

(12.7.1941-26.1.1942) Panzer-AOK.4,

(27.1.1942-14.7.1942) Panzer-AOK 4 u. Armee-Kartenstelle 473.


Cheers, Ade.

[Frundsberg]

It is just in old German script: Obergefreiter Alfons Weiss. 06789 is a Felfpost number but Feldpost numbers changed during the war. I'm not sure what the first line means. KDFÜ???

[Frundsberg]

WeiSS is written in old German script "long S". So today we read old "long S" just like 2 ss-s.

[GIZMO8Z]

Here is the marking inside my gasmask canister: