Nazi "Shot glasses"

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Robert McNamera

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Any ideas what these started life as?

On the headstamp is marked:
Nazi Buzzard and WaA 648
38
35C
P315

Thanks
 
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judging by the rim and belt, and not wanting to look up the numbers, I would guess a 13X64mm. A common round for German midsized machine guns.
 
It is quite clearly marked.

The "Nazi Buzzard" is a Kestrel surmounting a wreathed Swastika: the official insignia of the German Reich in the time of the National Socialist Government.

WaA 648 is the inspection marking of the Inspectorate Office which accepted the cartridge: Office Number 648. Records exist of which Office was stationed at which factory for the period.

38 is the year of production: 1938. Hitler didn't revive an ancient calendar or anything, the way Mussolini did. You don't have to worry about the year of the New Roman Empire - just use the ordinary Christian calendar.

P315 is the Factory Code, in this case the factory code for Markisches Walzwerk GmbH, Strausberg bez. Potsdam, Germany. They made quite a lot of ammuniton in the Third Reich years, being originally specialists in metal rolling.

35C is the drawing number which governed manufacture of this particular casing, just the same as drawing E37 governed the manufacture of brass-cased 7.92x57 for the A/C MGs. The original drawings still exist in one form or another and provide the complete specification.

It is actually a very complete headstamp.

Hope this helps.
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I had one that was very similar to that. It had a flying eagle with a Swastika in its claws scrimshawewed very nicely into smooth polished region on the side. Mine was made from a spent 20mm shell case. It had a band, just like the OPs picture.
I traded it, along with a bayonet and scabbard that someone had also scrimshawed with aircraft, Nazi symbols and a wreath of olive branches surrounding a number.
That was 30 years ago and other than oddities, I wasn't interested in them because they didn't go bang. It was for the best in the end, because my head wasn't on straight at the time and I needed the money to build a house. It went along with a couple of nice M96 Mauser pistols with stocks.
 
Why thank you, Smellie!

Perhaps I'm having cerebral flatulence here, but what caliber is it? I did my best with the camera; what you see is what you get with a $20 Wal Mart camera. Yellow flowers and "macro" indeed. How about click, flash...done!

Regards,
RMc
 
It is a belted round, with a rebated rim.

I would guess it is a 20x138B case, cut down as "trench art".
It was used as an AA round, as well as in the Lahti and Solothurn Anti tank rifles
 
Neat. I wondered what possible use could this have, then found this

From Wikipedia:

Many of the WWII shell casings that were used during the attacks have been carved and polished in Sarajevo tradition and are sold as art.
 
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