whiskydown Posted July 1, 2022 Share #1 Posted July 1, 2022 I recently purchased a WW2 Brixia mortar (NFA registered, etc). It was brought home by a veteran, who sold it to a collector, who sold it to me. It came with a set of straps for transporting the mortar as a back pack as was intended for hauling around this small mortar. The straps are definitely not what I see in period photos and in the Brixia manual. Those were leather straps with a different design. The collector I purchased it from told me these straps came with the mortar and the veteran said they went with it. These straps are marked in one place. The leather disk is stamped "E. Lunescholss Solingen 1942" and that manufacturer's logo is present. My research says these are tropical theater German Y-straps and indeed the third strap is missing. Maybe a soldier broke the leather straps on his Brixia and adapted these Y-straps? The Germans did use the Brixia mortar, and identified it as the 4,5 cm Granatwerfer 176. So the question is, are these straps for something else and incorrectly paired with the mortar, or could these be Brixia mortar straps made by the Germans, of which I have found no other example through my online research. Note that the paint on the metal parts of the straps appear to match the paint on the Brixia frame. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daskrieg Posted July 1, 2022 Share #2 Posted July 1, 2022 German combat Ystraps missing the back strap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted August 18, 2022 Share #3 Posted August 18, 2022 Tropical Web Suspenders, designed for use in Africa in 1940, like most of this Tropical Web Gear, it was viewed as most practical and started by mid 1942 to be issued on every front, and continuing during the course of the war, supplementing but never replacing the Leather gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now