Mess Kits- What is correct?

In the world of WW2 reenacting, there are a variety of "German style" mess kits around. In fact, this is one area many beginning reenactors spend their money only to find out later they need to "upgrade" these items. In some cases the difference seems minor, and the beginning reenactor may not understand or even notice the difference. Now for the answer to the big question- What is correct?

First off, lets start with the original mess kit that we are trying to get close to. Original mess kits are available, and some guys prefer to carry them. On most originals, the paint is worn off to bare aluminum, which happened during the war very quickly. The proper color is somewhere between a dark olive green to dark gray green. Basically, any military looking green is a good color. Notice that the mess kit handle has a loop for the mess kit strap on the top and bottom- this is one of the key features of originals. Some early war handles have only the top loop, but these are not common.

On the left we have the most commonly found mess kit around, the East German mess kit. While it is the correct size, it lacks the loops for the mess kit strap. You may find these with the bottom loop only, but that is still incorrect. These mess kits are cheap, and not correct for WW2 reenacting. The bottom part can be used if you have an original that is too crusty to use, just put your top on and it will fit. These bottoms are good because you can find them new, but the top will never do!

Next item most encountered is the West German postwar military mess kits. While these have the correct layout of loops on the handle, the mess kit is the wrong size. In the photo you can see the top lid is about ¼ inch too tall, and can not be used for WW2 reenacting. Overall, the mess kit is larger just slightly, so the bottom part is not useable. These are all over ebay, some even listed as WW2, as the dates are not always put on them.

Finally we get to what is useable. This particular mess kit on the left is postwar West German Police. What?!?!? That's right, West German Police mess kits are almost identical to WW2 German kits. The only thing you need to do is paint them green. You may also find postwar Russian mess kits in the same configuration. That's right, Russian. Bottom line is look for the loops on the handle and check for the space above the handle, making sure it isn't the West German military version. Armed with this information, you should never end up with a "Messy" Kit!