German Entrenching Tool

[douglas2496]

Hello, I have this entrenching tool and would appreciate it if my fellow collectors would have a look at it and tell me if there are any problems. I think its all Ok, the cover is made of cardboard, but I suppose thats perfectly possible, I imagine its late war manufacture? The tool itself looks to be French and is 1915 dated, but presumably the Germans were happy to reissue captured entrenching tools? Any comments welcome. Many thanks, Douglas

[JPhilip]

Hello,
Yes the shovel is WWI french...
I have never seen such a cardboard cover.
First of all, the side is to thin, usually there's a layer of pressed carboard placed between the front and back panels. Even extremely simplified, i have never seen a cardboard cover without this band of carboard...
Second point, it looks like holes were made thru the cardboard, then it has been sewn later....that's wrong and it denotes a sewing machine that was not powerful enough to do the job...
Also the colour of the cardboard is something i've never seen before...even on very used black ones...this finish is weird...
Unless it is a very late variant that i have never seen before (2%), it is a fourth Reich item (98%)...
Thanks

[Danmark]

WaA668 is Jean Weipert of Offenbach who WAS a leather maker but this code dates to 1941 ..... not late war????
I don't like the roller buckle myself so I would side with J Philip that it is likely to be a reproduction.

Dan

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Douglas, can you make out the RB number out of interest?

Cheers, Ade.

[douglas2496]

Thanks for your replies, I really am surprised, its so convincingly aged and used- theres even little fragments of mud and debris up inside the cover. The RB number is too obscured, only the last part 8/0007 can be read now.

[Danmark]

Thanks for your replies, I really am surprised, its so convincingly aged and used- theres even little fragments of mud and debris up inside the cover. The RB number is too obscured, only the last part 8/0007 can be read now.

I am only speaking for myself - its only my feeling Douglas and I am NO expert ( but I know there are some very convincing repros out there )

[Adrian Stevenson]

Thanks anyway Douglas.

Cheers, Ade.

[douglas2496]

Sure, and I am grateful for your opinion. I fully except that it may indeed be a fake. Re-reading JPhilips's post makes me realise that the shovel cover appears thinner in the pictures than it actually is. It does in fact have a protective layer of leather sandwiched between the two cardboard sides. Its also similar to this cover from a previous thread http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/field-...ools-251789-4/

Thanks again everyone.

[Danmark]

Its just the loops and the strap don't seem to show the same degree of wear?????
BTW, you have beautiful hands Douglas

[douglas2496]

Yes, I have.