Carrying sling
The carrying sling that was used on the MP38 and MP40 was in many ways identical to the K98 carrying sling, officially the “J 216 Einheitskarabinerriemen” or “unit carbine sling”. The K98 sling was officially introduced on the 17th july 1935. As usual this was announced in the Heeres Verordnungs-blatt. Apart from the “Haltestück” or “Riemenplatte mit knopf” (stopper) and some minor details (see below) the external appearance of the carrying sling for the MP38 and MP40 was the same.
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The first official publication in which the MP38 carrying sling was described and pictured was the “Beschreibung der Maschinenpistole 38 (M.P.38)”. On page 11 of this manual the carrying sling is described as follows:
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a) Carrying sling
The carrying sling is held to the weapon at the front by a clamp and at the rear by a sling loop with knob through a slot in the grip. The clamp makes it possible to lengthen the carrying sling.
Exactly the same text is used in the succeeding D167/1 manual; “Maschinenpistole 40 Beschreibung, handhabungs- und Behandlungsanleitung”.
This official description in both manuals leaves no uncertainty on how to attach the carrying sling to the weapon although on some wartime pictures the sling is attached in two ways. A good example of this is the famous “Stalingrad” picture which features 2 NCO’s with MP40’s. Each carrying sling in the picture is differently connected to its MP40. Apart from this the carrying sling could also be attached to an 180 degrees turned sling loop. Officially the sling loop had to have the loop on the right side of the weapon. It was not authorized to have the sling loop on the left side. Although there are photo’s of that period that clearly show the sling loop on the left side. I have read on a forum that this was considered by German veterans as carrying the MP40 “partisan” style.
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1) The M.P. hung over the right shoulder.
2) For a change the M.P. can also be hung in front of the body.
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In the second print of the D167/2 (individual parts listing) from the 25th of September 1942 all seperate parts of the carrying sling are described and coded separately:
| Specification sign | ||||
| Part Nr. | Description | KL. | Nr. | Drawing specification |
| - | Carrying Sling | J | 53 006 | 01 D 3291 |
| 55 | Sling | J | 53 145 | 01 D 3291-1 |
| 56 | Clamp | J | 53 141 | 01 E 3291 U 1 |
| 58 | Belt slide | J | - | 01 F 3291-2 |
| 59 | Button (to the Sling) | J | 53 144 | 01 F 3291-3 |
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The main differences between the K98 sling and the MP38 and MP40 sling are:
1) The MP38 and MP40 sling is about 25 cm shorter than the K98 sling. The MP40 sling is 116 cm and the K98 sling measures 141 cm.
2) The K98 has three stamped holes for adjustment of the length. The MP40 sling has only two stamped holes. Many slings for the K98 have been adjusted for use with the MP40.
3) Usually the MP40 slings are stamped “M.P.38 u. 40” although this is rarely seen due to the oil and filth that is absorbed by the sling over time
Due to the nature of leather and the absorption of oil and filth it is a challenge to indentify the main sling manufacturers. A few of the manufacturers are listed below:
Factory Code
Otto Ernst Busch, Eisleben (ST) cox
Vereinigte Lederwarenfabriken Eugen Huber, München ftt
Dresdner Koffer- u. Taschenfabrik Carl Heinichen, Dresden joa
Karl Budischovsky & Söhne, Öster. Lederindustrie AG, Wien cey
Johan Fröhlich, Koffer u. Lederwaren, Wien dvr
W.K.Stolla’s Söhne, K. & A. Stolla, Wien cgu
W.K. Stolla’s Söhne, K. & A. Stolla continued producing the MP40 sling after the Second World War under the name “Stolla Wien” for the Austrian Bundeswehr. These slings were stamped with a commercial Stolla Wien stamp just as the post war leather pouches produced by them.
Some indentified buckle manufacturers:
Linden & Funke KG, Iserlohn 736, (L&F stamp on buckle)
Linden & Funke KG, Werk Burg 408, axx (L&F stamp on buckle)
Schmöle & Co, Menden, Sauerland 521, awb (S↑C stamp on buckle)
Heinrich Sudhaus Söhne, Iserlohn gau