This is a German MG 34/42 machine gun drum ammunition basket top which is a nice condition relic.The top which is in good, solid condition, showing some rust holes and damage but still retains the remains of its carry handle. It has been carefully cleaned it is very solid, not breaking apart, and is perfect for display or inclusion in any collection.
Provenance: the top was used by the 12th SS Panzer Division and recovered in 2007 from the surface of the woods in the Ardennes Forest near the village of Krinkelt. The village was attacked by the division on 17-18 December during the Battle of the Bulge, Winter 1944-1945. The item comes with an A5 laminated information sheet.
During the night of 17-18 December, tanks from the 12th SS, after being freed from the mud, broke through the U.S. lines and pushed into Krinkelt, only to be expelled by a rapid counterattack. In the first three days of fighting at Krinkelt and Rocherath, the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitler Youth lost 67 of its 136 tanks. The fighting was intense, and because American troops had heard that the SS were executing captives, few prisoners were taken on either side.
This is a German MG 34/42 machine gun drum ammunition basket top which is a nice condition relic.The top which is in good, solid condition, showing some rust holes and damage but still retains the remains of its carry handle. It has been carefully cleaned it is very solid, not breaking apart, and is perfect for display or inclusion in any collection.
Provenance: the top was used by the 12th SS Panzer Division and recovered in 2007 from the surface of the woods in the Ardennes Forest near the village of Krinkelt. The village was attacked by the division on 17-18 December during the Battle of the Bulge, Winter 1944-1945. The item comes with an A5 laminated information sheet.
During the night of 17-18 December, tanks from the 12th SS, after being freed from the mud, broke through the U.S. lines and pushed into Krinkelt, only to be expelled by a rapid counterattack. In the first three days of fighting at Krinkelt and Rocherath, the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitler Youth lost 67 of its 136 tanks. The fighting was intense, and because American troops had heard that the SS were executing captives, few prisoners were taken on either side.
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