Muzzle cover for 18cm gas projector : German Army Accession Number: REL/00834

Description

Circular shaped and concave piece of compressed fibre. A pair of rectangular shaped cuts have been made through the object each measuring 8mm x 3mm. These cuts are 67mm apart. Between these two cuts is printed in black ink the German word 'OBEN' meaning top. A paper sticker has been attached to the object. Written on this piece of paper in faded black ink is 'Gas ? of German Bore'. Attached to the relic is a heavily worn original Australian War Records Service (AWRS) object card. The date 'October 18' is hand written on this. On the reverse of the object is printed a thin blue line of ink through the two small rectangular holes were made. There is also another pair of smaller indents made to the reverse at right angles to the other pair.

Contextual Description

During the First World War the Germans used gas as a weapon from 1915 until the end of the war. Australian troops on the Western Front of Belgium and France regularly came under gas attacks by the Germans. One method of delivering gas into Australian trenches was by the use of projectors. These simple yet effective weapons literally threw gas bombs into and around Australian trench systems. These smoothbore gas projectors consisted of a simple metal mortar like barrel which were dug into the ground at an angle of approximately 45 degrees and aimed towards the target. When the time and conditions where right, in particular the wind going in the right direction, the gas projectors were electrically fired. Because of their poor range and accuracy often these projectors were grouped together in large numbers to better ensure coverage and density of the gas to be delivered to the target. The British equivalent to this weapon was the 'Livens Projector'.

This particular object is believed to be a muzzle cover which fits over the top of a gas projector preventing mud, water and any other foreign object from lodging inside, thereby preventing its proper use. On top of the muzzle cover is the German word 'OBEN' which means 'top'. This would of been a guide for any German soldiers handling the gas projectors and the covers. The muzzle cover is exactly 18cm (180mm) across, which is the diameter of a commonly used German gas projector or 'gaswerfer'. There is also a pair of rectangular shaped holes in the top of the cover; these are likely to have originally been for a canvas or string handle which is no longer fitted. Objects such as this are particularly rare as they were usually discarded immediately after use or even used as fuel for fires by soldiers in colder months during the war or post-war by local civilians. According to the attached original Australian War Records Section tag this muzzle cover was recovered from the French town of Lille in October 1918 by Major Wilson of the British 5th Army Headquarters. The 'cheap' manufacturing finish of the object is indicative of the massive wartime 'ersatz' or substitute industry that Germany adopted across much of her civilian and military economies as a response to the Allied naval blockade of Germany.

This very rare muzzle cover for a German gas projector is representative of the German use of gas against Australian forces on the Western Front during the First World War and of the German ersatz industry.