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 waterbottle, and in a vertical line below that is a leather loop for threading the waterbottle strap. Infantry may prefer to carry the waterbottle on the right side of the bread bag, so that the bread bag and waterbottle do not rest on the lower back when adopting a prone firing position.
The ESCI 1:32 scale rifleman pictured above actually carries the waterbottle 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 waterbottle appears to be attached directly to the belt. The mistake may be corrected by slicing the waterbottle off with a scalpel, sculpting the bread bag from Green Stuff, and pressing the waterbottle 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.