Hi Guys
I was able to get one of these rare bags for carrying incendiary bottles, commonly known as "Molotov's cocktails"-the common name appeared for the first time during Russo-Finnish Winter war, it was a simple and deadly weapon destinated to destroy tanks, armored vechicles and fortified positions, bunkers, heavy weapons nests.
Incendiary bottles were delivered to the front line in case of need in wooden crates filled with dirt. Most commonly single bottles were geaven to soldiers, but they could be equiped with more bottles-tank destroyers teams armed with incendiary bottles were formed from 2 to 3 soldiers from which 1 or 2 were armed with bottles and commander with submachinegun or light machine gun.
In case when few bottles were geaven cound have been carried in a carrying bag if availble.
According to Red Army regulations for incendiary bottles in paragraph with carrying rules we can find that in normal circumstances bottles should be carried in bag separated from each other. If there was no carrying bags availble bottles should be carried in paper,hay or rags. During movement bags should be carred over soldiers shoulder, during run should be held with left hand to protect bottles from breaking.
However this seems to be not a common piece of a fieldgear as I couldn't find a picture of one used in the field except training photograph.
This bag dates around 1941 manufactured by VKPS- All-Union Cooperative Industrial Soviet funtioning from 1932 to 1941.
That's a straight from a warehouse example-still with buckles secured with oilish paper and tied with a string, absolutely a great example of a field gear from early period of Great Patriotic War.
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