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In the Portuguese manuals it states :
Tem pintada na tampa a letra G. Painted with the letter G
Esta caixa tem pintada na tampa a letra E Painted with the letter E
Esta caixa tem pintada na tampa a letra P Painted with the letter P
A caixa das pecas de reserve tem pintade na tampa a letra A which translates as " a spare parts box with the letter A painted on it."

I wish to discuss the Kl Vorratskasten. Given that the tins were stamped with the German letter designator, why is the Vorratskasten stamped A please see photographs. Some are with the letter A, some have a white V broken in the middle and some are a black V broken in the middle. I can think of no logical reason for this, I have looked at ten and the arrangement is the same. Logically the letter should be a V and not A and why is the V such an odd V?

Also, there is an historical fact I wish to share with you. I have documentary evidence that in the Portuguese shipment there were only ever 20 (small armourers tool kits) and of these only a few had what the Portuguese call, Part no 36 Vareta de limpeza constituida por tres partes or a cleaning rod composed of three parts. In the batch of 20 there were only one or two so I was fortunate to have the original manual and know what was missing. I have enclosed a photograph of the cleaning rod and where it sits in the box. There is also a cardboard cover which fits in the box but this might have been the original packing.

Also, there were only ever 40 Kl Vorratskasten in the shipment and the majority were broken up and the contents sold separately being the spring tubes, the tins and the other parts. Very few remain complete.

This is a great photo and info share. THANKS. Hope to see more on the Portuguese contract material. Have a Portuguese contract Lafette and shipping box myself and always looking to learn more.

Later Tim

Tim, these boxes are quite interesting. I have only been able to find one V-kasten and the V is a bit blurry. The A marked boxes I have never seen before. I strongly suggest that you go through all your notes and make some detailed info on the Portugese contract as you seem to have more info on it than anybody else I have encountered.
A friend of mine was there around 1980 and bought lots of Lafettes and other material, but he was not allowed to look at any of the paperwork.
In 2000 I was in Germany at the Rheinmetall archive and found two large binders with info on the sales to Portugal. I was allowed to go through it and copy what I needed, but time was very limited so I may have missed something. I will did out the copies and look through them, but most of what I found is already in my first volume so available for everyone already.
I will post again when I have found the documents binder with that particular info.
I am already working on gathering info for Volume 3, so if you want to contribute, you can.

Hi Folke will go through all my documents and make some detailed notes. You can with pleasure include this in vol 3 together with the work on the sight which you have seen. Tim

timarmitage wrote:Hi Folke will go through all my documents and make some detailed notes. You can with pleasure include this in vol 3 together with the work on the sight which you have seen. Tim

Vol 3 is just starting to come together. I invite you to share your knowledge and write about what has not been covered before. As for example the Portugese info that you have. I recently found in my own collection a gauge for checking the threads of the MG34 barrel locking piece! I didnt even remember that I had it, and neevr thought to put it in Vol 2. New stuff pops up all the time.

Folke as I am at work just off the top of my head, I have the contents of the V kit, the Portuguese Armourers kit with photographs from the manual, there are a lot of Portuguese pictures in the manuals but you have covered these before in the German manuals but you can have a look and decide. The information about the numbers of the Vorratskasten and the Waffenwerzeugsatz until now only I knew, so that can go in. Anyhow I will work on it and let you know. Tim