Truffle Pig
Airman
It is well known that shortly after World War II, suitcases were made from leftover aluminum sheet metal in various German and Allied aircraft factories.
This is also the case with the suitcase pictured here, which was recently offered for sale on a German advertisement portal. It is mainly made of very soft aluminum (3355?), but the corner profiles are probably made of harder duralumin. Some of the rivet heads still bear the characteristic set head markings used in aircraft construction.
Also typical of these makeshift products from the immediate post-war period are the improvised handle made from a wood-reinforced aluminum profile and the homemade closure. And the lid holder made from a leather strap, which is stamped with the words "Notausstieg" (emergency exit) and probably also comes from aircraft construction.
The case comes from a previously unknown workshop, from which I am aware of a total of five comparable cases made of this soft aluminum. Two were found in France and three in the area around Freiburg im Breisgau—the former French occupation zone.
My question now is whether anyone can say which aircraft model this strap comes from or which manufacturer used such straps.
The last picture shows another model from this workshop, presumably made somewhat later and equipped with a metal lid holder:
This is also the case with the suitcase pictured here, which was recently offered for sale on a German advertisement portal. It is mainly made of very soft aluminum (3355?), but the corner profiles are probably made of harder duralumin. Some of the rivet heads still bear the characteristic set head markings used in aircraft construction.
Also typical of these makeshift products from the immediate post-war period are the improvised handle made from a wood-reinforced aluminum profile and the homemade closure. And the lid holder made from a leather strap, which is stamped with the words "Notausstieg" (emergency exit) and probably also comes from aircraft construction.
The case comes from a previously unknown workshop, from which I am aware of a total of five comparable cases made of this soft aluminum. Two were found in France and three in the area around Freiburg im Breisgau—the former French occupation zone.
My question now is whether anyone can say which aircraft model this strap comes from or which manufacturer used such straps.
The last picture shows another model from this workshop, presumably made somewhat later and equipped with a metal lid holder:
