During restoration work on a German bunker on Monticelli, west of Passo del Giogo along the Gothic Line, the volunteers of Gotica Toscana unearthed a new artifact of great historical interest. Among broken glass, an Italian canteen, and a civilian aluminum container, a German mess tin complete with cutlery emerged, engraved with the owner’s name on both sides.
After a simple cleaning carried out on site, archival research began to reconstruct the soldier’s identity.
Daily life at the front
La scoperta di questi oggetti permette di aprire una finestra sul vissuto dei militari tedeschi durante la Seconda guerra mondiale. L’alimentazione del soldato era basata su razioni standardizzate: pane nero (Schwarzbrot), zuppe di patate o cavolo, carne in scatola (Dosenfleisch) e il surrogato del caffè (Ersatzkaffee). Quando possibile, la cucina da campo (Feldküche) distribuiva pasti caldi, ma nelle postazioni avanzate i soldati consumavano cibi freddi e conservati, talvolta scambiati con i civili o requisiti sul territorio.
The mealtime, though frugal, represented a moment of normality in the context of a grueling war.
Vocabulary of recovered objects
- Mess tin → Kochgeschirr (cooking container, made of aluminum, used for cooking and eating).
- Cutlery → Besteck, often in a folding set that combined spoon, fork, knife, and bottle opener.
- Canteen → Feldflasche, with a felt or leather cover, designed to maintain temperature and withstand impacts.
The work of Gotica Toscana
The investigation confirms the hypotheses about the shelter under study and once again shows how history can resurface unexpectedly, offering emotions and new knowledge. Gotica Toscana APS, in collaboration with the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape, operates in compliance with current regulations for excavations and the recovery of artifacts. Even in the use of metal detectors, the association and its volunteers scrupulously follow the legal provisions recently reiterated by the Carabinieri, committing themselves to being a national point of reference for integrity and transparency in historical research.
History is an endless emotion!
Technical sheet
Kochgeschirr M31 (German mess tin)
- Material: aluminum or enameled steel
- Capacity: about 1 liter
- Dimensions: 17 × 15 × 10 cm (6.7 × 5.9 × 3.9 in)
- Production: from 1931 until the end of the war
- Usage: multifunction container for cooking, carrying, and eating meals
Feldflasche M31 (German canteen)
- Material: aluminum (body), felt or leather (cover), bakelite/aluminum cap
- Capacity: 0.8–1 liter (27–34 fl oz)
- Diffusion: standard equipment of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS
Besteck (Folding cutlery set)
- Material: steel or aluminum
- Elements: spoon, fork, knife, bottle opener (fitting into one another)
- Feature: robustezza e praticità per l’uso prolungato sul campo
