Varie Cose I (Odds and Ends part 1)

La Borsa Tactica (The Tactical Case)

This little 10"x10"x5" oddity has been the source of a lot of confusion and discussion. An Italian surplus dealer described it as a pre-war satchel charge container; someone else said it was a clerk's desk; others insisted that it's a post-war item, but could not say for sure what it was. Given that it's made of tin covered with canvas, I sort of felt that it had some purpose where it would be handy, if not indispensable, to protect whatever was inside from contact with hot stuff falling from the sky. I acquired one online for less than $20; someone sold one in Australia for over $90 and I've seen them for as little as $10.

Turns out it's a Borsa per accessori da mina (Case for demolitions materials), the argument concluded thanks to a printed inventory sheet found inside one example. The items that were normally carried inside include:

•  n.1 coltello da tasca
•  n.1 forbicetta mezzana
•  n.1 pinza tagliastrozza
•  n.1 gomitolo di spago da mm.2 straforzinato
•  n.1 gomitolo di spago da mm.0,6
•  n.50 tubetti di gomma per giunzione miccia
•  n.1 martello a granchio
•  Kg. 0,5 punte di filo ferro
•  Kg.05 cambrette
•  n.1 rotolo nastro isolante
•  n.10 clips per giunzone miccia
•  n.1 tasca per tritolo vuota
•  n.1 borsetta per miccia vuota

Oh, and the inventory sheet cites a stock number that sources assure me is post-war - doesn't completely establish that these things did not exist before or during the war; doesn't say they did either.

Torcia Rettangolare (Square Flashlight)

I'd never seen one of these before March on Rome III in 2012. They were evidently common (standard issue?) among German soldiers and examples made in other European countries can be found. A major Italian producer of similar units was Vigila Pagani, though some say that they didn't get into making this sort of flashlight until after the war.

The unit typically has one or more colored filters that can be lifted into position via the appropriate slider and leather or vinyl tabs with button holes at the top and bottom for fastening it to shirt or tunic buttons for hands-free operation. These are typically powered by an odd (to Americans) 4.5V rectangular battery that costs $6 to $9 and has to be special ordered.

I've found a source for replacement battery boxes that hold 3 AA batteries. To this, I added a stick-on wrapper laboriously copied from a vintage Italian Superpila battery. I also have artwork for a Wehrmacht-issue  Daimon-brand battery.