a. General

All German ammunition containers bear labels. A knowledge of the practice used in labeling ammunition will enable identifications to be made readily.

b. Color of Labels

The usual practice is to have white labels with black printing. The following special colors are used for further identification:

(1) Yellow labels for tracer ammunition;

(2) Pale blue labels for pistol ammunition;

(3) Brick-red labels for blank ammunition.

c. Special Marks on Labels

Overprintings and other special marks are sometimes used by the Germans. The following marks have been reported:

(1) "i.L." in large black or red letters is used to indicate that the ammunition is loaded in clips;

(2) "Ex." on the labels is used to indicate dummy ammunition;

(3) "S.m.K." printed in red is used to identify armor-piercing ammunition;

(4) "für M.G.", printed usually in red, indicates cartridges are for use in machine guns;

(5) "für Gew." or "nur für Gewehr", printed usually in red, indicates cartridges are for use, in rifles only;

(6) "Patr. 318" indicates cartridges for use only in antitank rifles (the cartridge case being larger than that of the standard 7.92-mm rifle and machine-gun ammunition);

(7) "Pist. Patr. 08" indicates 9-mm pistol and submachine-gun ammunition;

(8) A green diagonal band is used to indicate ball cartridges with the "l.S.", or light-weight bullet.

(9) A blue band of considerable width, running vertically, indicates steel cartridge cases (rather than brass).

d. Special Labels

When a special label is used, it is often for the purpose of marking unreliable ammunition. In some instances, special labels indicate specially loaded ammunition. The following (figs. 86 to 90, incl.) are examples of some special labels:

Figure 86.—"Not suited for overhead fire or firing through gaps in lines!"

Figure 87.—"To be fired only in rifles or 98K!"

Figure 88.—"To be fired only in machine guns!"

Figure 89.—"Only for sighting in."

Figure 90.—"Only for practice purposes."

e. Method of Reading Labels

(1) General.—On labels for small-arms ammunition, the Germans omit in nearly all instances any reference to the caliber. The ammunition cases are labeled to indicate the name of the weapon for which the enclosed ammunition is intended. The standard caliber for pistols and submachine guns is 9 mm. Where the caliber differs from 9 mm, it is shown on the label: for example, Pist. Patr. 7.63 mm ("7.63-mm pistol cartridges"). Where the caliber of 9 mm is shown on the label, it will indicate that the ammunition is made for use with non-standard 9-mm weapons.

Labels may be expected to contain the following information: (1) number and type of cartridges; (2) lot number and the year of loading of the cartridges; (3) type of powder, and also the type of weapon for which it is intended; (4) place and year of manufacture, (5) specifications of the cartridge case and bullet; (6) specifications of the primer; (7) composition of the tracer (if any). In order to place all this information on a label, abbreviations are used. To facilitate the translation of the labels, a list of abbreviations¹ and a glossary² are given in sections VI and VII (pp. 185-190, below) . The Germans use two alphabets, roman and German gothic,³ and consequently labels may be printed in either, or both of them.

(2) Examples.—Set forth below (figs. 90 to 101, incl.) are some typical labels for small-arms ammunition.

The label illustrated in figure 91 reads:

The following information is contained on this label:

A translation of this label reads as follows:

Figure 91.—Label for case of 1,500 rounds of heavy, pointed ball ammunition (Patronen s. S., Patronen schweres Spitzgeschoss). (The label is white with black printing.)

Figure 92.—Label for super armor-piercing bullet, with tungsten carbide core (Patr. S. m. K. (H), Patronen Spitzgeschoss mit Stahlkern gehärtet). (This label is white with a red triangle, black border and printing. The letters "S. m. K. (H)" are in color after Patr. but they are not reproduced in this photograph.)

Figure 93.—Label for 5 rounds of armor-piercing bullet (Patronen 318). (This label consists of two triangles, one red and the other yellow; the border and the printing are black; the edging is white.)

Figure 94.—Label for armor-piercing incendiary bullet (Patr. P. m. K., Patronen Phosphor mit Stahlkern). (This label is green with black printing.)

Figure 95.—Label for heavy, pointed ball ammunition (Patr. s. S., Patronen schweres Spitzgeschoss). (This label is white with black printing. The letters "i. L." are overprinted in red ink; they indicate the ammunition is loaded in clips—i. L., im Ladestriefen.)

Figure 96.—Label for 1,500 rounds of heavy, pointed ball ammunition (Patr. s. S., Patronen schweres Spitzgeschoss). (The label is white with black printing. A vertical blue band runs through the center, indicating the cartridge cases are steel instead of brass; notice also the word Stahl ("steel").)

Figure 97.—Labels for steel-core, armor-piercing ammunition (Patronen S. m. K., Patronen Spitzgeschoss mit Stahikern). (The labels are white with black printing; "S. m. K." is printed in red. The different sizes of the same label are used on different sizes of packing boxes.)

Figure 98.—Label for 1,500 rounds of observation (explosive) bullets (B.-Patronen, Beobachtungsgeschoss Patronen). (This label is white with black printing. The underlined printing is a caution: Protect against shock and dropping!)

Figure 99.—Label for light, pointed ball ammunition (Patronen l. S., Patronen leichtes Spitzgeschoss). (This label is white with black printing; a green diagonal band runs from the lower left to upper right corners.)

Figure 100. Label for model 08 pistol cartridges (Pistolenpatronen 08). Model 08 pistol cartridges are the regular ammunition for the Luger, the Walther, and the M.P. 38 and 40; this label is pale blue with black printing.)

Figure 101.—Label for dummy, drill cartridges, model S (Exerzierpatronen S.). (This label is white with black printing and a red overprinting of "Ex.")