Bread Bag M31
The Brotbeutel M31 bread bag may be attached to the belt by two belt loops, or worn suspended by a detachable carrying strap. At the lower end of each belt loop is a D-ring for attaching the Feldflasche M31 water bottle, and in a vertical line below that is a leather loop for threading the water bottle strap. Infantry may prefer to carry the water bottle on the right side of the bread bag, so that the bread bag and water bottle do not rest on the lower back when adopting a prone firing position.
The ESCI 1:32 scale rifleman pictured above actually carries the water bottle on the right side of his bread bag. The bread bag itself is not detailed enough: the left-hand leather loop on the lid is missing, and there are no folds in the material on the left side of the bread bag, where the lid overlaps the bag. The Airfix rifleman on his right did not receive a bread bag at all. His water bottle appears to be attached directly to the belt. The mistake may be corrected by slicing the water bottle off with a scalpel, sculpting the bread bag from Green Stuff, and pressing the water bottle back into it. Watch our tutorial “Brotbeutel M31 Bread Bag for German Paratroops” to see how it‘s done. It‘s well worth the effort, because a 1:72 or 1:76 scale miniature can be repaired in just 3.2 minutes.