Another Amno crate identification needed

I'm having a hard time identifying this one so I'd really apreciate some help .


I'm not sure whether this is WW1 German, WWI Italian or a German WW1 crate re-used by the Italians in WW2.

The colours make me think of a two row O8 German crate, but the one I have is metal not wood, so it doesn't match. Besides the markings are in Italian and say "Nastri Mitragliatrici M M 8" with means "machine gun rounds MM8 " in Italian.

 

Is the chunk of metal down the middle original or added later? It appears to me to be mad of aluminum and a later addition.

 

It could have been added later . I found nails in the box , so I suppose it was used a s toolbox after the war by a civilian.

 

That first picture looks like the box has an accomodation to be mounted on another piece of equipment. This leads me to believe that it is for some sort of automatic weapon. A quick look through Comando Supremo | Documenting the Italian political and military actions of World War Two and I see nothing that resembles the box.

 

I wonder if the the "MM8" is a reference

 

It may be Italian for rearming aircraft machine guns. Rich A. in Pa.

 

yes, but I am trying to find the model. Maybe a Breda

 

That's what I was tunning into, most of the Italian Machineguns are are magazine fed. Maybe this thing was for loose rounds and not linked or belted ammo. How wide is that box? (Inside dimensions)

 

about the same size as an iron 08-15 box. or a shoe box size if you prefer.

 

Can you put a tape measure or ruler on it?

 

Sizes are (in inches) 15 x 6 . Height = 7.5

 

Well I think I have the beginning of the solution and a possible story that goes with it (the second art being of course pure speculation, but logical) .

Upon having a closer look , I realised this box had been reused by the Italians , so I tire dto figure out how it was before. I brough tit to a friend who clearly showed me the "ghost" of a second leather strap whi proved this box used to have two paralel handlebars which allowed easy handking when full of amno and made it easier to clip the iron hook on an automatic machine gun. This second handlebar was later removed and that side became the bottom . To prevent wearing , two pieces of wood were added as an extra protection so the wood would not be to much in contact with the ground. This is why this side is more damaged than all the others (paint , wood worms ). Also the kaki paint and white inscriptions are italians, the darker green is older.

I'm still not cetain whehte rthis box was German or not, but I'm starting to think it could be the Austro Hungarian version of the 8MM box. Why? Because of the alp front which allowed this kind of boxes , not only to be put on machine guns in aminmumum of time, but also on .... mules. The iron hinges reinforced the box so many of them could be fit on one mule by clipping them on a rail attache dto the mule. This way of transportation was used by the Austro Hungarians and the Italians in WWI and by the French Goumiers in 1943. Their fast way to move through the mountains at Monte Casino and their tactic victories achieved partly thakns to this advantage led other allies (for instanc ethe New Zealanders to adopt mules as well). Hence the second part of my investigation.

This box was possibly confiscated by the Goums from Italians and taken from the Italian front to France after Operation Dragoon. It was then abandonned and reused by a civilian as a tool box unti lhis death when an antique dealer emptied his house and sold this object at a flea market. Sounds good doesn't it? I'll never know what really happened, but how could a Italian/German box have ended up in France otherwise?

see the enclosed picture of the "ghost" of the former handlebar



and the closest aspect of the original condition before it was recycled into an Italian box. Note that this way it looks in good condition because these parts were not in contact with the ground.