The Rucksacks

The gebirgsjaeger was early equipped with rucksacks. Carrying the m34 tornister in the mountains was not practical. The practice soon found its way to other branches of the armed forces. The end of the evolution from an expensive backpack, trough a batllepack system to a simple canvas backpack. The latter demanding very few resources and labour. Several versions exist and there is a huge variation in material used.

The artillery rucksack

Around 1940 the artillery rucksack replaced the torinister for non mounted artillery troops. It was a small rucksack made of olive colored canvas. It featured backstraps and had no hooks for ataching to the sturmgepack A-Frame. They are often production marked on the leather re-enforcement top back for the shoulder straps. This specimen is marked with rb.no 0/0750/0183 indicating production by Ernst Weigel & co in stuttgart.

Picture left showing the shoulder straps. At the left they attach to a hokk, at the other side with a buckle. Inside it has an internal pocket of cancas. Picture right showing the distinct two leather loops for attaching the blanket with leather/canvas straps. This rucksack saw its use until the end of the war.

What started with a complicated system ended with simplicity in 1944 with the introduction of the M44 Rucksack or sturmgepack44 wich it was also named.  The german soldier marched into war with a furlined backpack with mantelrolle, karabiner 98 and marched out of it with an olive colored simplified bag and a stg44. The Affe was costly to make both in man hours and resources. The gefechtsgepack was a light an good system but it also required resources and man hours. The M44 bas based on previous rucksacks and resembled the artillery rucksack. It demanded very few resources and was very easy to produce. It was often distributed together with the M44 feldbluse.

The back reinforcement leather layer. It shows the makers mark. Note that it is a RF, not a RB number stating this bage was made late 44 or later. The particular RF number has been identified and shows that the maker was Walther Duksch in Petersdorf. They produced "sattlewaren" in Schlesien.

Picture showing the M44 with the lid open. It has leather straps for the zeltbahn. On the inside it has a cloth divider. It was made from cloth, mostly olive colored. The item displayed on this page is either "textbook", "hard to upgrade" or unissiued. It is real and authentic considering it is near 80 yrs old and used. It is complete and not modified in any way and that is perfect condition for some collectors.

Picture showing the hooks that attaches the rucksack to the Y-straps. Note the texture of the cloth and the stitching.

Picture showing the leather straps for the zeltbahn.

Soldier wearing the m44 rucksack mounted to the Y-Straps.

M44 Sturmgepack with zeltbahn and equipment attached

A panzergrenadier in 1945 with a m44 rucksack on his back. He is armed with an stg44 late production. From a fur covered backpack trough a system with a frame, this is where the evolution ended. Simplicity and low consumption of resources covering the same needs.