German carry crate for Gewehr Sprenggrante 30 anti personnel rifle grenades with paper label and dated 1944 used by 9th Army Wehrmacht/11th SS Panzer grenadier Division Nordland who defended city of Kostrzyn or Kustrin where the box was found 1944 battle

This is a rare to find German carry crate for Gewehr Sprenggrante 30 anti personnel rifle grenades in overall fairly nice condition. The box is pretty much complete the wood is still solid but has broken and damaged in places and bit loose panels as well from use it still retains most of its original black painted colour finish and has some original white painted markings that can be seen nice and clear on the box on the lid on the side and on the front This box where the hinges work perfectly and the lock still works the lid does not open and closes perfectly and is complete with its cloth carry handle the box is a bit scuffed and marked from use but is wood worm free but the really lovely bit is the paper label on the box lid inside with markings still mostly clear to see dated 1944.The box is still very solid and has been nicely cleaned it is perfect for display or any collection. The box would have been used by soldiers in the 9th Army Wehrmacht or the 11th SS Panzer grenadier Division Nordland who defended city of Kostrzyn or Kustrin. This is where the box was found on the battlefield of late 1944 until early 1945 on the Polish- German border.

Kostrzyn was an old, fortified city on the Oder River. It was an important location because of the road- and railway bridges across the Oder. In February 1945, the first troops of the 1st White-Russian army arrived here. Hitler declared the city as important defence point. The remaining German units of the 9th Army were under command of SS General Ferdinand von Sammern-Frankenegg. The German garrison, estimated at between 9,000 and 16,000 men and boys, in the small town on the eastern bank of the Oder River, some 70 kilometers east of Berlin. On January 25, by order of Adolf Hitler, Küstrin the German name for Kostrzyn had been made a Fortress Town, meaning that it was to be held to the last man and last bullet. The penalty for retreat was death. It was here that the prelude to the Battle of Berlin would take place. After heavy fighting General Ferdinand von Sammern-Frankenegg had to surrender the city, against his strict orders. At that time, he had only 600 soldiers left fighting who were taken prisoner by the Russians.

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