About carrying MG boxes

**steger** · 09-09-2022, 06:24 PM

Hi all
Has anyone seen the original photos where the German soldier carries two boxes of MG belts in one hand? As much as I searched, I couldn't find it anywhere...

Here's the way:

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 09-09-2022 06:24 PM

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**Watchdog** · 09-09-2022, 06:40 PM

Don't recall a specific picture but the handles on the boxes are certainly deliberately offset to allow them to be carried in one hand. Two boxes of MG ammo would not be that much of an ask. When I first enlisted we were required to run with two boxes of 1200 rds of 7.62mm (obviously 2400 rds plus the weight of the steel boxes and the steel carrier) clamped together in a carrier as part of concurrent activity on the range which was apparently to stop us being bored when not actually firing

Jerry can handles are designed the same way although 2 x 20 lt cans adds up to nearly 50lbs. I used to be able to do it in my days as a young "Tom" but find it a bit much now

Regards

Mark

**steger** · 09-09-2022, 07:54 PM

What kind of box with 1200 rounds? It should be about 40 Kg. Two boxes - about 80... Standard German MG box full weighed 10+ Kg, about 20+ Kg per hand, as I know.

**Watchdog** · 09-09-2022, 08:53 PM

by steger

What kind of box with 1200 rounds? It should be about 40 Kg. Two boxes - about 80... Standard German MG box full weighed 10+ Kg, about 20+ Kg per hand, as I know.

Sorry, my mistake. I don't know why I typed that number

! That really would be heavy

Thinking about it it the carrier I am talking about held four boxes of 200 rds of 7.62x51 4B1T (800 rds)which would be 56Lb or around 25 Kg plus the weight of the carrier itself about the same weight as a full jerry can or a sack of potatoes.

Thanks for the correction

Mark

**steger** · 09-10-2022, 04:44 AM

,,about held four boxes of 200 rds of 7.62x51'' - that's how I understood it

I'm not saying that the constructors created them that way for that purpose. I read somewhere that the Americans laughed that the Germans came up with a smarter idea here as well.

,,Each loaded box weighed a little over 10 kilograms and the expectation of the German Army was that four boxes, totalling 1,000 rounds, could be carried by one man. if you really need it''. (from net)
You have to agree that carrying two Browning belt boxes that way would be more complicated

**Martin Bull** · 09-10-2022, 08:22 AM

I thought I'd seen dozens of pics of the German cans being carried in tandem - but as usual, when I looked , I couldn't find any

( except for re-enactors in Bruce's 'German Automatic Weapons Of WWII' ).

This is a familiar early-war image ( I think originally from Signal ) -

OK - just one box despite the design allowing for two in one hand. But I've sometimes wondered at the practicality ; I've tried carrying two of mine single-handed and - even empty - it's very hard to prevent one of them colliding with my knee. Just a thought......