Cleaning Rod Question...
 

From my readings, I gather the German military holsters lost their carry-strap and/or pouch in or around 1936...

So where were the cleaning rods carried, afterwards...?

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

Damn good question Pete,

Although I do not have a Wehrmacht biefel (SP?) to cite, based on many photographs in my collection, I am inclined to believe they followed the model that the US adopted and made pistol cleaning rods part of a squad issue. I may be wrong on this, but I have several photographs of Heertruppen cleaning pistols and the general feeling from the picture is that this was a group maintenance activity. OTOH, after the end of the issuance of the K-Date type holster, cleaning rods may have been issued "in hand" with the holster and considered as expendable/disposable, although this does not seem consistent with the German approach.

My two cents,
Tom A.

Pete, FWIW, I have a 1936 that has the slot for a cleaning rod. All the later dates I have do NOT contain cleaning rod provisions. Note: It doesn't mean there were none.

As I understand it the cleaning rod issued with the holster was replaced with the one issued with the K98 rifle and as Tom says became a group activity using the cleaning kit of the K98. This is a pull thru chain type affair. Jerry Burney