Flak – from a modeller's viewpoint (part II of II)

Airtight amm. Box.
100 cartridges 45.5 kg

(Left) Figure 21: All 2cm ammunition came in 100–130 round boxes packed individually in a rolled paper cylinder. As soon as there was time for it, the ammunition was unpacked and loaded in the empty magazines. Normally the Germans mixed the rounds so every fifth round was a tracer but late in the war, they changed that so every third or second was a tracer. The idea was to make the attacking planes think that a higher amount of shells were coming their way.

(Left) Figure 22: 2cm Flak 30/38 magazine container. Containers for the Flak 18/36/37 and 43 had the same design, but were accordingly larger, so they could contain the 6- and 8-round clips. Note the colour.

(Left) Figure 23: 2cm Flak 30/38 magazine container.

(Left) Figure 24: 2cm Flak 30/38 magazine container.

(Left) Figure 25: A sample of two paper labels to be found on both the side and the end of the ammunition boxes and ammunition containers. All ammunition boxes and containers, no matter what calibre, had these paper labels attached on the outside to identify the contents. The paper labels normally measured 7x10cm Some of them could have a green, blue, yellow or red 3cm-wide bar running across them or in the middle of the label from top to bottom to identify what colour of tracer/fuse there was within. In addition, triangles in the corners of the label in the colours of the tracers are also visible (see Fig.27).

(Left) Figure 26: Paper label from a 2cm ammunition box.

(Left) Figure 27: Luftdichter Patronenkasten d. 3.7cm Flak 18. Note the colour, text and paper label. It is exactly the same container type as used for the German stick hand grenade.

(Left) Figure 28: 2cm ammunition box. Note the colour and text.

(Left) Figure 29: Sample of the text on the wooden lid of a typical ammunition box. (1.) is where the paper label is placed on the inside of the lid and (2) is were it is placed on the outside. The text Luftdichter Patronenkasten could be substituted by the total amount of rounds inside and types of gun the ammunition inside were for like: first line – 100, second line - 2cm Flak 30/38. The colours of all the different ammunition boxes/containers were either natural wood, dark green or sand.

(Left) Figure 30: The Luftdichter Patronenbehälter was a sheet metal tube container looking a lot like an elongated German gasmask container with a metal wire carrying handle at both ends. The cartridges were always stored with the bottom at the opening end. A wooden support spacer in the bottom of the container kept the cartridge nose cone centred and protected the fuse. The container could be with or without ribs. (1) is where the paper label was placed on the side of the container. Note there was also a label on both the outside and on the inside of the lid. The colours were dark green or sand. Also, note that it only opens at one end.

(Left) Figure 31: These 7.92mm cartridge case colours are the same as their bigger sisters. From left - Brass with copper shine, two different brass colours (unpolished-polished), Steel with a shiny light field grey lacquer layer, Steel with a shiny greenish lacquer layer. Here you should note that the 2cm guns were the only ones that used steel cartridges with the grey/greenish lacquer layer.

(Left) Figure 32: Steel 3.7cm Flak cartridges in matt light field grey colour, the brown stuff is not rust but weapon grease.

(Left) Figure 33: 2cm Flak 30/38 HE shell with a red tracer.

(Left) Figure 34: 2cm Flak 30/38 shells. "Edq" is the manufacturer's code. In this case Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken A.-G Lübeck-Schlutup.

(Left) Figure 36: 10.5cm cartridges:
A. HE shell.
B. 1941 AP ballistic capped.
C. 1943 AP ballistic capped.
1. From early-1943, the noses of the 8.8cm–12.8cm AP shells were painted white to help loading them in the dark. The HE shells already had a silver coloured aluminium tip so it was not necessary to paint them.
2. 14, 28, 86, 92 are bursting charge numbers. Place, day, month, year of fusing with work mark.
3. Place, day, month, year of shell filling with work mark. KPS, FES or KES is the type of driving band.
4. Colour of tracer band.
5. Weight of propelling charge.
6. Type of propellant.
7. Location, year, delivery number of propellant.
8. Place, day, month, year of manufacture with work mark.
Text was stamped on in either black or white paint depending on the colour of the cartridge.

(Left) Figure 37: Work mark placed in a square on a 3.7cm shell. Note that a protective layer of weapon grease has been smeared on the entire shell/cartridge to protect it against moisture but at the same time making the colour look a bit darker.(The vk. on the shell before the L’spur (tracer) means Verkürzt – "shortened". It has a short burning tracer).

(Left) Figure 35: 10.5cm cartridges. He and AP ballistic capped. The large II, III, IV are the weight classes. KPS, FES or KES stands for the bimetallic type of driving band.