Zeltbahn M31

[Nmilitaria]

Added this zeltbahn to my collection for my mannequin in the making. The zelt is in nice condition without damage and with all the buttons and ropes still attached. There are remains of a RBNr. but i don't know what maker.. anyone?

[Rossi]

Good looking Zelt!

[harryamb2]

nice condition.

[Adrian Stevenson]

"0415" was out of Bremen.

Cheers, Ade.

[JPhilip]

Hello,
It is an interesting Zeltbahn 31. As the RBNr starts with the number 1, it means that it was made in a small production unit run by a craftman, which is quite weird considering the nature of the item and the long process of its production. I could be mistaking of course but in my opinion the only work done on this Zeltbahn by this craftman has been the assembly and the sewing of buttons. It must be a very early production marked with a RBNr as the Zeltbahn still has two eyelets above each grommet and two in the middle, certainly a late 1942 production.
Thanks

[Nmilitaria]

Thanks guys!

[knoffhoff]

The complete R.B.Nr. would read 1/0415/0061 and as Adrian Stevenson states, belongs to a maker located in Bremen. Most likely (but not proven) it is "J.C. Runken & Co", one of the bigger Zeltbahn makers.
This exact R.b.Nr. is commonly seen on Zelts that still feature the double eyelets, a combination that unlike JPhilip I would date not earlier than early to mid 1943.
A lot of 1943 dated pieces of "J.C. Runken & Co" and many other makers that still have the full name stamping instead of the R.b.Nr. are known.
Later Zelts with single eyelets by the same maker usually are encountered with the R.B.Nr 0/0415/0061.
So the number at some point in 1943-1944 has been changed, or perhaps just been corrected .

Cheers,
Marco

[JPhilip]

Hello,
Late 1942 or early 1943 does not make a lot of difference, but what you're saying is that according to the maker you're giving for that RBNr, this manufacturer used the preffix allocated to craftmen instead of the one used in the industry, while being one of the biggest producer of Zeltbahnen ?
And this manufacturer also produced both full name and RBNr marked Zeltbahnen at the same time between early to mid 1943 ?

"This exact R.b.Nr. is commonly seen on Zelts that still feature the double eyelets, a combination that unlike JPhilip I would date not earlier than early to mid 1943"

For the second part of your sentence, do you talk specifically about this producer only or for the bulk of the Zeltbahnen production ?
Thanks

[knoffhoff]

Like I said, there is no proof for "J.C. Runken & Co" being the maker behind that R.B.Nr, but since it is the only known maker located in Bremen and there are no other Bremen R.B.Nrs known, I think it is pretty safe to assume that it is just the one maker.
Of that maker I know 3 different markings on Zelts that are or could be 1943 production.

- J.C. Runken stamp, Date 1943, double eyelets.
- 1/0415/0061 stamp, no date, double eyelets
- 0/0415/0061 stamp, no date, single eyelets

Why a big company like Runken would have used the 1 prefix I dont know. But since it got corrected later, it could just have been a mistske.

Generally (being aware of some exceptions) I would date all R.B.Nr Zelts with double eyelets early to mid 1943.
There are quite a few makers with verified R.B.Nrs that have Zelts marked the same way as described as above but with a additional date to the R.B.Nr.

- maker mark + 1943 date, double eyelets
- R.B.Nr + 1943 date, double eyelets
- R.B.Nr + 1943 date, single eyelets


A 1942 dated and R.B.Nr'd Zeltbahn is not known to me, so I dont think the R.B.Nr marking on Zeltbahnen was introduced earlier than 1943.

[Nmilitaria]

Thanks for the info!