Backpack M41?

**Pawlito** · 10-30-2008, 03:04 PM

Hello.
What do you think about this backpack? I have not other pictures.

Paul

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 10-30-2008 03:04 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Dimas** · 10-30-2008, 07:09 PM

A very nice M 38 backpack! Is it for sale?

**Pawlito** · 10-31-2008, 08:18 PM

Dimas, many thanks for that Info . Yes, it´s for sale

**Adrian Stevenson** · 11-01-2008, 01:45 PM

How much? This is something I would like to buy one day too.

Cheers, Ade.

**Pawlito** · 11-02-2008, 10:55 PM

Hello
It was for sale, but not from me. I think it was a misunderstanding that it was in "Item for sale" moved.

Paul

**Adrian Stevenson** · 11-03-2008, 10:50 AM

I have moved the thread to here

Cheers, Ade.

**Adrian Stevenson** · 01-12-2010, 11:42 PM

I am bringing this old thread back to the top to ask a question about the shoulder straps. As these are all leather covered, would this one be considered early production?

Cheers, Ade

**Wesley's Dad** · 01-13-2010, 02:38 AM

by Adrian Stevenson

I am bringing this old thread back to the top to ask a question about the shoulder straps. As these are all leather covered, would this one be considered early production?Cheers, Ade

Certainly a less common variation, not sure if it is earlier than the more common type or not.

**Adrian Stevenson** · 01-13-2010, 11:42 AM

Hi Mike, thanks for the thoughts. Always appreciated.

Having just bought a pack. I have been looking for one for some time. It came from the estate of a German Veteran. It needs restoration, lacking ALL

the straps. I am interested to find out more.

In one of my Russian produced books they show two: one as an "M39" and one with a webbing main closure strap and slightly smaller pockets they call an "M41". Any thoughts on this?

Cheers, Ade.

**Wesley's Dad** · 01-13-2010, 01:58 PM

by Adrian Stevenson

In one of my Russian produced books they show two: one as an "M39" and one with a webbing main closure strap and slightly smaller pockets they call an "M41". Any thoughts on this?Cheers, Ade.

Ade,

I think the nomenclature you have shown here is more or less correct. There are other differences between the two that you do not mention. The M39 is semi-rigid in that it has a stiffened base, and as result the pack is not very expandable. The M39, fully complete, has a small, removable belt hook attached via a buckle on the bottom of the pack.

When issued the M39 also came with 3-4 small auxillery pouches to organize the interior contents. These pouches are shown in "Field Equipment of the Infantry" by Robert Fisch. I made contact with this author some years ago and I have a color photo of these small pouches in my archives somewhere. I will locate it and post here. Mr. Fisch spent much of his career as the curator of arms at the West Point Museum here in the US. He has been a longtime colletor and had built most of his collection by the time his book was published in the 1980's. In speaking to him, many of his items (Soviet) were aquired in the 70's and 80's from the storied American collector George Peterson and come from George's early hunting and buying activity in Germany during those decades. Fisch's M39 pack as shown in his book, is absolutly 100% unissued condition and these four packs were found folded neatly inside when he aquired it. I am confident that they were in fact issued as part of the pack. Again, I will post the color photo when I locate it.