Austrian and Polish Shovels from Norway Capture Pile

[timothy]

Thank you very much JP I respect your expert opinion so I come away with the conclusion this is another foreign (Polish it sounds like) in this case ET taken into German Service. I find it hard to believe that it would be Polish post war coming from the Norway capture pile. Tomaz may have some good points but possibly the Poles made these in or before the war and continued making them after the war. I had a collector/dealer friend that bought all he could from both the Norway and France piles and had many nations and kinds as Tom mentions. This would have been early 80s or so I can just say this about the waa in handle I also obtained one from him that was clearly ww1 typical German ww1 style folded ears with a 1916 maker it had been unit and Reichweir stamped on the blade with a droop wing eagle and marked 34 or 35 I can't remember but it also had the droop wing waa stamped in the wood towards the ball in the handle maybe the waa inspector just decided to put it there I don't know. Thanks all for your response. timothy

[Tomasz70]

Unfortunately, Poland did not produce such a type of e-tool before 1945. Until 1939 Polish factories produced e-tools similar to the Austrian type. Additionally, Polish Army used examples of German WWI origin (repainted with Polish khaki), but generally Austrian type prevailed. Spades similar to German type were introduced after 1945 and were used till 1990’s.
Discussion concerning “Wolf’s head” mark has been wide spread all over the Polish internet boards and many doubts are still in place.
General conclusion is, as I have written already – Germans produced similar type during the war, Poland overtook the factory line after the 1945 and produced e-tools with wolf’s head until 50’s. After 50’s spades were produced without that mark.
Not an official info is known as regard the issue. Lot of questions and doubts are still not answered….

[timothy]

Thank for your imput also Tomasz these are becoming quite a topic I have seen major dealers and websites sell them as German WW2 I am starting to say I just don't know. timothy

[fbeaty]

I am not sure why people are saying that the wolf's head is not German made. Here is a basic variety...

- - ------- - -

The wolf head's are early war production... Maybe because they all used the same kinda stuff...

[fbeaty]

Also here is one...close up

[fbeaty]

Tim...you are correct about the stock piles from Norway...they still have a ton of stuff there.

[MP44tom]

Hi

Do you have detail pictures of the green (norwegian) painted shovel with wofshead and WaA

And... the last picture with close-up wofshead, again, is not a standard german production shovel !

Tom
MP44.nl - Welcome to my Website

[fbeaty]

Here is my early war version

[MP44tom]

Hi

What I can see is a 1940 dated shovel with a very early WaA (which is strange) but I don't see a wolfshead..... so this is a different one then the green 1944 dated one I suppose....

Let's try not to get things mixed up

Tom

[fbeaty]

Hi

What I can see is a 1940 dated shovel with a very early WaA (which is strange) but I don't see a wolfshead..... so this is a different one then the green 1944 dated one I suppose....

Let's try not to get things mixed up

Tom

This one with the WaA mark is not the the wolf's head...it should be a Reichwehr?