Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Presstoff

 
Wikipedia: Presstoff
Presstoff Holster
DreysePrestoffHolster.JPG
Presstoff Dreyse m1907 Pistol Holster
Type Ersatz Leather
Place of origin  German Empire
Service history
In service Germany 19041945
Used by  Germany,  Switzerland,  Norway, ,  Finland,  USSR
Wars World War I, World War II
Production history
Produced 19001945

Presstoff is the German-language term for a type of ersatz or replacement leather used during the first half of the 20th Century. Made of specially layered and treated paper pulp, Presstoff was durable and easily adapted to be used in place of leather, which under wartime conditions was rationed. First invented in the 19th Century, it gained its widest use in Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

Military Uses During WWII

Presstoff use included but was not limited to binoculars cases and straps, horse tack, bayonet frogs, equipment belts, cap visors etc. In short, Presstoff could be used in almost every application normally filled by leather, excepting items like footwear that were repeatedly subjected to flex wear and/or moisture. Under these conditions Presstoff tended to delaminate and lose cohesion.

References

Private collection article - Presstoff Belt John Casino (1928-09-24). "Hitler Youth Belt". Legion Supply House. http://www.johncasino.com/item%208574.htm. 

Presstoff late-war holster issued to Volksgrenadier, delaminating from flex wear
Presstoff MG42 Gunner's Kit with asbestos barrel mitt, and leather strapping
Mauser-made p38 [disambiguation needed] coded "byf 44" with mixed material leather & Presstoff holster made by Ledenwarenfabrik Moll, coded cxb 4 (for 1944)

Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics
 
 

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Presstoff" Read more