Afrikakorps/ M31 Tropical Canteen & Cup, 1943

Description

M31 tropical canteen called “Coco” typical of the Afrikakorps (Tropen Feldflasche 31 und Trinkbecher) made of aluminum with an impregnated wooden cover, it is marked on the back in a circle with the “D.R.G.M.”, the Deutsches Reichsgebrauchsmuster patent, that is, its design and use were registered and protected. It is not a patent, although the Germans often referred to it as the “Kleines Reichspatent”, below “H.R.E. 43”, the name of the producer: Heinrich Ritter, Esslingen 1943, and finally the “D.R.P. angm”, or Deutsches Reichspatent Angemeldet; meaning it was applied to the German Reich Patent Office to protect its design and use. It has typical khaki canvas straps, a friction buckle patented by “Ritter”, the black Bakelite cup and a specific canteen cap for the Coco canteen. It was designed especially for the North African front. Very good used condition.