The history of the German Bread Bag & Strap
(Brotbeutel und Trageriemen)
(M.1887 Breadbag and Breadbag Strap)—The German Soldier wore the Brotbeutel on his right hip, suspended from the belt. This cotton duck bag holds toilet articles, the Feldmütze when not being worn, rations, and other necessities of life for the German soldier. There are several models of the breadbag, the basic ones will be described here. The Brotbeutel is made with a single piece of cloth for the front and back that was sewn together so it narrowed somewhat near the top.
Pre-Great War - 1887 Ocre
Introduced in the year of 1887, the Bread Bag (Brotbeutel) and Strap (Trageriemen) was first introduced to replace the older Model 1841 Bread Bag. This new bread bag, approx. 28 x 31 cm, with 7 cm wide (varied by manufacturers) inserted side parts, was made of dark or light Ocher, tightly woven linen and/or cotton. Inside it was divided into two sections by a piece of cloth. It could be carried over the shoulder at camp by the bread bag strap. For this purpose, two iron, nickel-plated D-rings were attached to back by sewn on leather.
Normally, it was worn without the strap, it has two button-down belt loops that were located at the upper edges near the corners by 2 brass buttons around the belt, and a brass hook in the middle. At the top left was a nickel-plated D-ring for hanging the canteen (Feldflasche), and a leather 'bar' on the lid for looping through the canteen strap. It was closed by two adjustable buttonhole straps on the inside , a third strap in the middle closed the bag. Pre-War, cup-shaped brass buttons were used, along with nickel-plated iron fittings and brown/ocher, natural-colored leather.
Early War Bread Bag set up, Andrew S. Collection
Pre-War
Study Samples
1910 - 20JR
Faded- Ocher
Manufactured in Bavaria, this bread bag was produced in the year of 1910, and was issued to the Bavarian 20th Infantry Regiment. You will notice in the photos that the color of this bread bag is the more lightly colored Ocher.
Andrew S. Collection
1913 - JR48
Dark Ocher
Manufactured in Köenigsberg Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) supply depot, this it was made in the year of 1913. It was issued to the Prussian 48th Infantry Regiment. Notice the Darker Maroon Ocher Color.
Andrew S. Collection
1914
Unissued - Ocher
Manufactured in Köenigsberg Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) supply depot, this it was made in the year of 1913. It was issued to the Prussian 48th Infantry Regiment. Notice the Darker Maroon Ocher Color.
Andrew S. Collection
The Great War - Changes
Mid-War Bread Bag set up, Andrew S. Collection
Late War Bread Bag set up, Andrew S. Collection
Compared to the red-brown & Ochre pre-war material, the bread bag proved to be rather conspicuous on the front, so October 1914 made in gray fabric (In many shades - from Gray to Beige to Feldgrau to Gray) was introduced.
It should be noted that through the course of the war, coarser fabrics and various other colors were also used, instead of nickel-plated D-rings made of painted iron, and the well-known zinc sheet buttons were commonly found on the bread bag. The brass hook was replaced by one made of steel or zinc sheet.
Because of this aspect, it should be noted that the bread bags do tend to vary in the aspect of components. However, the basic pattern and shape stayed the same.
Study Samples
1915 Dated M1914
Red Cross Arm Band
The Great War - Ersatz
Due to a the increase of troops that was necessary for the war effort, it soon became clear that there was a leather shortage. Which proved to be evident with Pickelhaubes and other items that used leather. So there was a clear need in late 1914 for a 'Ersatz' (Substitute) Bread Bag to help alleviate the strain on leather stocks, so a number of manufacturers began producing an all fabric bread bag to act as a stop gap while they filled quotas. They used existing stocks to use up old material. All examples seen used a combination of pre-war and war time materials, while other times it used exclusively prewar materials.
Also it should be noted that there is no leather reinforcement strap on these models were fabric only, with no sign of leather use at all. It is suspected that the leather was being held over to be used on leather pouches, pickelhaubes, standard breadbags, and other such articles of war.
Finally, these seemed to be produced between late 1914 and mid-1915, which makes these very uncommon compared to the standard bread bag, and even to other 'Ersatz' items.
Curator's notes: If anyone has any additional information on these unusual bags, please let us know!
Study Sample
Ersatz Bread Bag
Generation 1 Ersatz Bread Bag.
Great War - Feldbrauchbar Bread Bag
Feldbrauchbar (Field serviceable) Stamp variants.
As of 1917, the German army formed a series of repair depos for the restoration of used and damaged equipment during front line operations. Helmets, uniforms, mutzes, and in this case - bread bags - went to these depos for repair. One special thing I have found with these particular Bread Bags is the letter 'f' (Feldbrauchbar) stamped on the bag, and often enough, replace damaged leather with cloth. Once fully repaired, it would be reissued for service again.
The example shown below is a prime example of such a bag. I has various stamps, including post war reissue to the Bavarian Police.
Study Sample
Contents
Typically the Brotbeutel was full. Some contents within the Brotbeutel you would find would be but not limited Hand Towels, a day's rations, drinking cup, spare field dressings, hygienic items, and other such things that would assist in bringing some aid and comfort for a soldier.
Photo Gallery
Nurse Haversack
(Krankenschwester-Brotbeutel)
This was once a generic Brotbeutel, however at some point a 'Schwester' got a hold of it and modified it. A more unusual piece of history, but still another glimpse of German ingenuity.
Breadbag Strap
During the Great War, the German Soldier did not have equipment suspension straps built into their tunic and were not issued 'Y' straps for holding up their belt. Thus the bread bag strap was put around the neck to relieve the strain and the two snap hooks were attached to the D-rings of the cartridge pockets. It proved to be simple and yet effective to the point that there are some photos of older WW2 German NCOs using this very same method as a hold over from the First World War.
Introduced at the same time as the M1887 Bread Bag, the Bread Bag Strap was an adjustable strap that was approx, 3 cm wide and a maximum of 120 cm long. The adjustment buckle and the buckle was made of brass, the snap hooks made of nickel-plated iron riveted by brass (steel during war time) to both ends in brown smooth leather reinforcements. Various stamps are usually found twice on the back of the strap. In parallel to the bread bag, the strap went through the same development in terms of materials and colors.
It should be specially noted that there was a variation that had a sewn on 'loop' on the strap., this variation among advanced collectors is known as the 'Pioneer Bread Bag Strap'. The purpose of this loop was actually to assist the German Pioneer Troops with carrying their long handled shovels. However as of October 1914, the War Ministry allowed these bread bag straps to be indiscriminately issued to all branches of the German Army.
The loop continued to see use through the Weimar Republic, and was finally phased out by days of the Nazi Regime. But that is a story for another day and time.
Additional Study Samples
Photo Gallery
