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Reisszuender West (Friction fuze WEST)

B

Bellifortis

Well-Known Member
On the LEXPEV site there is pictured a german WW2 friction-fuze named "Reisszuender West". I can not find any documentation, german or english, about this fuze. It has the typical shape of late 19th early 20th century french artillery fuzes. I was told that it was a former french mine fuze, which I find difficult to believe. I do not even know, if it was an instantanous- or a delay-fuze. Is there any background literature on this item and does anybody here have any further info ?
Thank you for your consideration,
Bellifortis.
 
I recently got one of those fuzes but couldn't find anymore info on it,other than it was used to convert artillery projectiles(French?) into boobytraps
 
Hello,
It's not a former french mine fuze but a device made during occupation with a shape of common french fuze to be fitted on french captured ordnance used as mines.
Strange unsafe device used as booby trap (pull friction).

German made other similar devices with a thread used as adaptors for common german mine fuzes.

Regards



R.jpgR2.jpgR3.jpg


other adaptors :

MINE ADAPTOR.jpgMine adaptor 2.jpg

adaptor 2.jpg
 
Thank you @minenaz16 for your educative answer. It's a great pity that I never learned french. May be you can help me with another explanation. Attached is page 54 of the 1715 edition of Frezier. Here he mentions a "German fuse"/ "Meche d Allemagne". I have not heard this expression before. Would you be so kind as to explain/translate, as exactly as possible, how this fuse is set up. Thanking you in advance for your kind consideration, I wish you a happy sunday,
Bellifortis.
 

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Bellifortis said:
Thank you @minenaz16 for your educative answer. It's a great pity that I never learned french. May be you can help me with another explanation. Attached is page 54 of the 1715 edition of Frezier. Here he mentions a "German fuse"/ "Meche d Allemagne". I have not heard this expression before. Would you be so kind as to explain/translate, as exactly as possible, how this fuse is set up. Thanking you in advance for your kind consideration, I wish you a happy sunday,
Bellifortis.
Click to expand...

strange document, french is wrote strangely with spelling mistakes and strange "f" for "s" (?!)
So a man describes what is the "Boulot" or "Mèche d'Allemagne" (= german safety fuse)
This fuse is made with tree mushrooms (!). Mushrooms are hanged in front of the chimneys for drying.
Then mushrooms are beaten with a wooden mallet.
Mushrooms are boiled with slapeter and powder, then are put to dry in an oven. Again beaten with a mallet.
And you have a sensitive fuse ("mèche").
Difficult to understand but it seem to be used as a fuse for rifle (?!).
 
Hallo @MINENAZ16,
this is 300 year old french. It is the same in every language, language changes over a few hundred years very much. Old language is often very difficult to understand for us moderns. Thank you for your translation. It is sufficient for me to understand the meaning. The book is one of the oldest and most important Fireworks books. This type of slow fuse has been used in Fireworks, civilian and military, for hundreds of years, in shopgoods fireworks up till the 1960s . Before the invention of matches it was also used for making fire with flint and steel. I am intrigued that this french author calls this a german invention.
regards,
Bellifortis.
 
Last edited:
Hello,

I think this text refers to hoof fungus, used to make tinder since very ancient times: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fomes_fomentarius. The reason why its called German fuse is apparently because the main factories in Europe where located in Germany, mainly in the Black Forest, and this until WW1.
 
That's it @doppz92. But, there were nearly no factories. The Fungus apparently was free to be picked in the forests and it were the poorest of the poor, in those wooded mountain eareas, that produced and sold (ger."Zuendschwamm") tinder in the 17th/18th century.
 
I saw the book "traité des feux d'artifice" from 1707 and now I understand well.
In the text "fusil" does not mean rifle (current meaning) but a part of old lighter with "amadou" fuse ("amadou" fuse was made with tree mushrooms).
This substance was also used in medecin.
I didn't know french already used the word "Allemagne" (Germany) in 1707.
 
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