Yesterday I had studied the photos in Jim Pool’s book “Ration of the German Wehrmacht in World War II” about the German Front Line Infantry Assault Ration box, because I wanted to make this box for a long time and yesterday I did give myself the time to do so.
Box from a free PDF
First I had downloaded a PDF file to print and assemble such a box. It’s one of the many free PDF files which you can find on the internet. To be honest, I am not such a fan of those files. But Ok, I had printed it and put it all together according the 5 steps within the PDF. Then I looked at the result and at the Photos in the two books. I do think the dimensions are not correct. With all due respect to the person who made the PDF file, but it’s a pity the dimensions are not correct and the typeface (Font) used is far from correct. (I will write something about the use of typefaces someday).
Anyway, in the book there is a picture of an unassembled front locking carton and I scanned that. Jim had also written the measurements of such a box in his book which are 4.25 x 1.5″ x 5.75″. This would be something like 110 x 40 x 145 mm. Since this is a German box I would go for the millimeters and when I scaled the image I had scanned, it was exactly right. Then I made the die cut drawing and printed it, to see where I had to make the adjustments.
After that I finished the artwork and printed it on 300 grams off white paper to make the first dummy. And I must say it looks pretty fine to me. Only I think 300 grams is a bit thin and 500 grams comes more in place. But my printer will not take 500 grams, so I have to think for a solution to make it a bit thicker and then take this box into production.
Who knows the box of the “Frucht-Riegel” and a box of “Sulima” for six cigarettes to go with it will follow soon to complete the box. And maybe next will be the other boxes, “Für Frontkämpfer im Großkampf” (Only for front line troops involved in the great battle) and “Zusatzverpflegung für Frontkämpfer im Infanterieverband” (Supplementary Ration for Infantry Units). But for those I have to make an other die cut drawing…
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