German wooden crate for 8cm mortar 3 shell ammunition box with markings ,paper label dated 1944 and green paintwork used by 116th Panzer Division recovered from near Houffalize in the Ardennes forest 1944-1945

This is a German wooden crate for 8cm mortar 3 shell ammunition box it is complete the wood on the box its self still has its light green camouflage paintwork remains with some of its original black stamped markings on the lid still partly clear to see. The box has the paper labels on the outside which is dated 1944 with a last packing date of 1st August 1944 that can be seen and on the inside labels which are not complete but with partly readable markings it does not have any holes or woodworm that can be seen the hinge works nicely as does the lock the lid opens and closes perfectly the wood is in nice solid condition not braking up or falling apart and it still has its rope carry handle. The crate along with other parts were taken from abandoned German vehicles after the war in the village of Mont which is just North of Houffalize all the vehicles belonged to the 116th Panzer Division. It was taken of the tank or vehicle properly in around 1946-1948 by a local farmer and was used on his farm for many years until it was found by a local collector who had them in his private collection until 2020 when it left the Ardennes area for the first time since the war. This is a very nice relic from the Ardennes Forest campaign during the battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944-1945.This real bit of history from this famous battle which was Hitlers last offensive in the West and comes with A5 laminated information card.

The 116th Panzer Division, also known as the "Windhund (Greyhound) Division", was an armoured formation that was constituted in the Rhineland and Westphalia areas of western Germany in March 1944 from the remnants of the 16th Panzergrenadier Division, and the 179th Reserve Panzer Division. The 16th had suffered heavy casualties in combat on the Eastern Front near Stalingrad, and the 179th was a second-line formation that had been on occupation duty in France since 1943.

The 116th Panzer Division participated in the failed Ardennes offensive. On the 10th December 1944 in the days before the offensive started it was partly refitted, with 26 Panzer 4 Tanks and 43 Panther Tanks and 25 Jagdpanther tank destroyers (of which 13 were combat ready). However, it was still missing much of its organic transport. Initially stalled by the resistance and then poor bridges in attacks to cross the Our River at Luetzkampen and Ouren it back-tracked to march through Belgium from Dasburg to Houffalize. The division then fought its way as the middle spearhead of the advance on the Meuse from Samree to La Roche. It was then involved in heavy fighting at Hotton and Verdenne, where it was turned back at its furthest advance in the Ardennes. It later held the Allies at bay for other units to retreat, before being withdrawn over the Rhine in March 1945.Its commander was General Siegfried von Waldenburg for the Ardennes offensive and until the 18 April 1945 when the majority of the division was forced to surrender to the U.S. Ninth Army, having been trapped in the Ruhr Pocket.