German Container

[jvollenberg]

Any ideas what this container went to? Also wondering that the marking BB in the circle stands for?

I know the U usually means training ... So I am guessing this has a training item that would be stored in it?

Dia: 161MM
length: 221

Joe

 

[Grzesio]

Sond. Kart. 7 u. 8 / S. F. H. 18 = special charges 7 and 8 / [for 15 cm] heavy field howitzer mod. 18.
I don't think U is for training in this case, it should be Üb instead.

 

[Yodamaster]

For BB I have : Braun & Bloem, Dusseldorf, Germany


Yoda

 

[jvollenberg]

Any idea what the U would stand for?

Joe

 

[Alpini]

"U" means "Unterricht" (teaching)
"Üb" means "Übung" (practise)
"Ex" means "Exerzier" (Drill)

"U" marked ordnance was used in classrooms in military academies or school rooms in military bases to explain technical details or simply to teach how the stuff looks like.

"Üb" marked ordnance could be used (fired) and had some basic function like a inert filling with same weight as a live shell or a reduced charge or a smoke charge but did not contain an amount of explosives which made serious damage. "Üb" artillery shells are normally used on artillery training ranges.

"Ex" marked ordnance was used to drill - this was normally done in the barrack square / parade ground (Exerzierplatz). Artillery drill ammunition for example was used to train the setting of fuzes, preparing the charge and loading the guns. Artillery drill shells are often made from softer material than live shells to prevent damage to the gun during the drill process. Separate loaded shells had a handle in the base to remove it from the barrel after loading. My Grandfather also told me that it was a common punishment in the barracks to carry a 15 cm drill shell xx times around the sports ground (xx depending on what the soldier was doing wrong )