pic metal ship box with odd BCD 43 K98k

[72 usmc]

Here is an interesting first hand account of post WW II scrap piles in the US as late as the 1950s since the author refers to a " 57 Chevy" in a letter in GUN COLLECTOR magazine, Dec 2014 Vol. 36 No. 6. As a kid in the early 1950s the author tells of escapades of plunder. I wonder how many such scrap piles and depots were in Europe where post war GIs could get goodies and send them home? Maybe this rifle is garbage pulled out of such a scrap dump and sent home post war in 46-50. This one letter is worth the price of the issue. Enjoy. Gun Collector is a fantastic magazine,
check it out if you do not get it.

Confessions of a pint-sized Entrepreneur by Mr J. W. Hackert, pp. 42, 49, 66.

[72 usmc]

cont...

some got cut off so it reads... but this was for a top-choice item only. Later on, the older boys learned that the artifacts could be parlayed for full tanks of gasoline. Many a 57 Chevy was kept fueled courtesy of the scrap fields.

Some boys amassed quite specialized collections. Sal was a German helmet specialist. He had at least 25 good ones, but it gave me immense personal satisfaction as a general collector to know that I alone had the one helmet that he coveted...

[72 usmc]

Ok I want to select my rifle from here. Talk about trophy rifles.
This is sad https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-ar ... war.html/2

[ffuries]

Ok I want to select my rifle from here. Talk about trophy rifles.
This is sad https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-ar ... war.html/2

How about from this pile of German rifles that were listed as Russian captures.

[72 usmc]

Mike, Did you ever see tin equipment or parts boxes like that in the Air Force? Do you know anything about the unit and where it was?
Captain Paul W. Harn, 17th depot RE Air squadron

[indy1919a4]

I know this is not the correct box,.. but getting warm.. Jeep tool box.. Maybe its a tool box of some kind???

Does you box look like it had hinges on it at one time???

[ffuries]

Mike, Did you ever see tin equipment or parts boxes like that in the Air Force? Do you know anything about the unit and where it was?
Captain Paul W. Harn, 17th depot RE Air squadron

It's actually the 17th Depot Repair Squadron, they spent some time in Italy and North Africa. If you scroll down to the Manpower, Procedures and Production area of the below link it gives you some unit information.

https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/per ... pter13.htm

As for the box itself, could be anything, hell it could be an Axis made, used container that was repurposed. It will take some detective work to solve the box riddle.

[72 usmc]

Thank you guys, Semper Fi

As for the box itself, could be anything, hell it could be an Axis made, used container that was repurposed.

It is an odd color to the box. All of the USMC stuff was olive or drab green. Maybe an Africa Korps box??? The Germans had that dark sand yellowish brown. That makes sense too me, and Arab and Turk rifles are always messed with and mismatched dogs. That idea might explain why the rifle is so mismatched. It was rebuilt so many times to get anything to shoot with what ever parts they could reuse????? Like the old dog Turk Mausers or Enfields. It came out of Africa/ Middle East??? I like that idea. That might be a Africa Korps German color??
WW II-afrikakorps-ammo-box repainted on outside-inside has original africa Korps color

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ammo box see https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product ... ?a=1907881

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[72 usmc]

Does you box look like it had hinges on it at one time???

No hinges, the box is a thin sheet metal, not galvanized. Not a real heavy gauge like a Sears tool box, but still a sturdy box. Maybe the metal thickness was like a US GI ammo can, but not refined edges. It must have took a bit to dent it up in shipping. The corner was folded over and I think riveted and possibly welded. I can not remember the construction of the corners from the show. It is not mine. I failed to see the details. I saw this at the show on display for comments, not really for sale. I failed to notice how wide the lip was on the top lid of the box and how the top was made at the corners. The top lid slid over the bottom like a candy metal tray. The bottom of the box had sides that were not bent or folded over like a finished tool box for strength. The edge at the top of the lower box was just the metal. No evidence of hand snipper cutting to the metal. It looked like a nice machine cut straight edge. Not some quick hand-made box. It was an original metal box made for shipping some parts. Color was odd for a US army or USMC tin. I thought the owner would join the forum and comment and provide some more pictures of the details but, I guess not.

[indy1919a4]

Does you box look like it had hinges on it at one time???

No hinges, the box is a thin sheet metal, not galvanized. Not a real heavy gauge like a Sears tool box, but still a sturdy box. Maybe the metal thickness was like a US GI ammo can, but not refined edges. It must have took a bit to dent it up in shipping. The corner was folded over and I think riveted and possibly welded. I can not remember the construction of the corners from the show. It is not mine. I failed to see the details. I saw this at the show on display for comments, not really for sale. I failed to notice how wide the lip was on the top lid of the box and how the top was made at the corners. The top lid slid over the bottom like a candy metal tray. The bottom of the box had sides that were not bent or folded over like a finished tool box for strength. The edge at the top of the lower box was just the metal. No evidence of hand snipper cutting to the metal. It looked like a nice machine cut straight edge. Not some quick hand-made box. It was an original metal box made for shipping some parts. Color was odd for a US army or USMC tin. I thought the owner would join the forum and comment and provide some more pictures of the details but, I guess not.

Yeah some added photos of the box would be nice,..

[72 usmc]

I have my dads WW II USMC tool box, (USMC Corsair mechanic) with 2 doors that flip open and the top tray that lifts out is way thicker than this shipping box. It is constructed way heavier and more durable than this K98 shipping box. Thanks for those pictures of the WW II jeep boxes. On your left photo, on the inside lid, is that a spare parts tin box under the hold down bar? It is painted green in your photo.
It is like this one. A pull out metal tray holds the sockets. It is buried under too much stuff to dig out. But that photo is its duplicate, so they must be common. We had a similar tool box in the early 1970s in the USMC. Two more WW II boxes attached. It seems Germans had lots of variation in paint color for Africa Korps containers and they seemed to favor metal because its lasts- old world craftsmanship. I think ffuries is correct that its a German container. And the guy was in N. Africa it all kind of fits the story.

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Here is a WW II German tool box with Africa Korps color:

Here is another of similar color but an Original German WWII Small Field Medical Surgical Tool Set by C. Stiefenhofer of Munich