1943 fuu Lafette 42 - Page 3 - Wehrmacht-Awards.com Militaria Forums

mkVsten · 05-28-2012, 03:53 PM

K98,

Fantastic Lafette. I love the early camo ones. A nice survivor!

Grossfuss,

The Lafette 42 is now in transit to me from Hamburg. Will post up some detailed photos once it crosses the pond. Must be the same Mario your friend knows.

I had emailed Reidar (Bergflak) to get some pre purchase advise, below is his reply about the fsu Lafette...

Sorry for my late reply, but I have been on vacation.

It looks all good to me. The lower is matching in my eyes. Sometime during 1943 fsu discontinued making MG34 Lafettes and started up with the MG42 Lafette. This year there are no differences between the lower frames.
The leather pads are replacements, typical Austrian praxis.
When it comes to the bolt box I am unsure. The latch seems strange to me. Both my examples have the standard box-latch. But I might not have seen everything…

Best regards
Reidar

mg42rip · 05-28-2012, 05:38 PM

Nice 42 lafette.
The bolt box is post war ex-Austrian on the 42 lafette.

Maybe on the early mg34 lafettes the search an fire mechanism have the same serial numbers on them. This must have changed as the war progressed.
VERY NICE 34 Lafette
Ed

Grossfuss · 05-28-2012, 06:30 PM

Thanks for that latest comment.
I've often wondered about that design of bolt box - I have it on my "fsu 1943" Lafette also.
Does that mean I've now got to start searching for another one with a screw catch?
Looking forward to seeing the next crop of photos.
Here are a couple of mine, one showing the bolt box.
All the best,
Grossfuss

Grossfuss · 05-28-2012, 06:33 PM

Two more for luck!
This one came from "Beltring Mario", also in Austrian paint.
Cheers,
Grossfuss

phil337 · 05-29-2012, 02:22 AM

my opinion on the bolt box is i dont think they are post war, i saw one of these a few year ago for sale and it was in slight relic condition (like ground dug) that had traces of ordnance tan paint left.

I have also seen these types of bolt boxes coming out of the former yugoslavia on the reworked ww2 lafettes, my opinion is that these bolt boxes maybe late war, or made by a munufacterer that we have not seen before - this can happen, not so long back i posted an mg34/42 patronenkasten with an odd type closure latch that i had never seen before (completeley different to the standard type), had 3 letter code, it was in discussion that it may have been late war too. i just dont see why a post war foreign country would need to manufacter thier own when ww2 lafettes had planty of spare bolt boxes on them.

Grossfuss · 05-29-2012, 05:52 AM

Thanks for those encouraging words phil337 - if canteens weren't varied enough with their different fittings, Lafettes are another world again!
One thing I forgot to mention, getting back to the Lafette that started all this, it was good to see that this one started life as an MG42 Lafette.
There were in the Austrian lot several that were converted from MG34 Lafettes, identifiable by the heavy steel lug supporting the inner end of the shock absorber at the front with the flat top to support the MG34 during barrel change and by the angled "cuts" on the inner edges of the rear gun-support hooks.
On that subject - what is the accepted wisdom on those - were any likely to have been modified by the Germans during the war or were these post-war done to satisfy the demands of the Austrian BundesHeer?
Yup! - the first one I bought was one of those and it was an uphill learning curve from then on - frustrating but fun!
Good wishes to all,
Grossfuss

mg42rip · 05-29-2012, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phil337

my opinion on the bolt box is i dont think they are post war, i saw one of these a few year ago for sale and it was in slight relic condition (like ground dug) that had traces of ordnance tan paint left.

I have also seen these types of bolt boxes coming out of the former yugoslavia on the reworked ww2 lafettes, my opinion is that these bolt boxes maybe late war, or made by a munufacterer that we have not seen before - this can happen, not so long back i posted an mg34/42 patronenkasten with an odd type closure latch that i had never seen before (completeley different to the standard type), had 3 letter code, it was in discussion that it may have been late war too. i just dont see why a post war foreign country would need to manufacter thier own when ww2 lafettes had planty of spare bolt boxes on them.

I'm pretty sure they are post war. Here is a shot from Folks book showing the lafette 43 it has a bolt box like i am refering to. I have only seen this type and the one with the knurled nut like the 34 bolt box also shown in the book. I also took a shot of one next to the austrian bolt box.
I only base my comments on period photos and i have never seen one of these on a period picture.
Maybe the one you seen was trying to be faked for more money.
Ed

Grossfuss · 05-29-2012, 04:41 PM

Thanks mg42rip for the latest instalment - put me down for one of those bolt boxes anyone out there with a spare!

All the best,
Grossfuss

Michael Downey · 05-30-2012, 12:53 AM

OK guys here is a MG42 spare bolt which I recently bought from Latvia. I wanted it to complete my late war fsu marked NC dated (1944) lafette. I certainly hope the consensus is that it is not an Austrian post-war variant.

Michael Downey · 05-30-2012, 12:58 AM

Here are some close-ups of the latch. The red primer and tan paint looks original with no evidence of other paint being removed or over-painted.

Michael Downey · 05-30-2012, 01:01 AM

Here is a view of the hinge and the end. The paint does not appear to have been applied over the pitting. Rather the pitting seems to erodes the original paint

Michael Downey · 05-30-2012, 01:05 AM

View of inside. Retaining spring broken, but I can live with this. Come on guys let me know whether this a late war or post war spare bolt carrier. Thanks.

phil337 · 05-30-2012, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mg42rip

I'm pretty sure they are post war. Here is a shot from Folks book showing the lafette 43 it has a bolt box like i am refering to. I have only seen this type and the one with the knurled nut like the 34 bolt box also shown in the book. I also took a shot of one next to the austrian bolt box.
I only base my comments on period photos and i have never seen one of these on a period picture.
Maybe the one you seen was trying to be faked for more money.
Ed

please see my post below, that shows a ww2 era mg34/42 ammo can with a 3 letter code, with the different style locking mechanism totally different to the standard types, just because we dont see something in period pictures or books doesnt mean it did not exist..... its been prooven many times for different items, i will still state i dont think the bolt box is post war made but rather possibly late war/last ditch

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=589169

phil337 · 05-30-2012, 04:06 AM

i will also like to point that the latch mechanism on these apparent post war type bolt boxes is very simillar to the latch mechanisms found on shell containers, examples as shown in the link above

Ed may i just ask what you source is etc for proof that these are Austrian post war made, is there any proof at all?
cheers
Phil

Grossfuss · 05-30-2012, 10:40 AM

Having looked through phil337's link there are many permutations in catch depicted there but I grudglingly have to concede that they all seem to be variations on the theme of those depicted by mg42rip, whereas the simplified catch on the ex-Austrian bolt-boxes, although using the same mechanical principal, differs considerably in construction.
However, as phil337 observes - we've not seen it all!
Who'd have believed the Y-straps knocked up from British webbing if they were not observed in period photos!
Curiouser and curiouser - bolt-box offers in a PM to Grossfuss.

Good hunting!