Swedish army M40 Stainless steel Gense with four leafs variation mess kit

Description

The Swedish M40/M44 mess kit
Known as: Enmanskök Kokkärl M40
Ever since the 1700s, Swedish soldiers were equipped with personal cooking appliances. In 1895 soldiers were issued with a pan tinplate which largely resembles today's pans except that this was significantly higher in the mold. Model 1895 was made of almost solid copper. With the approach of WW2, a new design for Swedish mess kit was introduced - Enmanskök Kokkärl M40 .
These kits are officially designated as M/40 AL by the Swedish Military. They were first issued in 1940 and were used until quite recently when the Swedish Military started to dismantle and downsize. The "AL" designation is for the aluminum version of the mess tin. During WW2, when aluminum was needed for the defense effort, the tins were made of stainless steel and were given the designation of M/40 FR. The "FR" is for stainless steel. The mess tin set in this collection is made aluminum, with stainless steel bail, handle and attaching hardware. The set is dated in 1965 and has the official "Three Crowns" stamps of the Swedish Military. The Enmanskök Kokkärl M40 was supplied by the Försvarets materielverk, FMV (The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration) which is a Swedish government agency that reports to the Ministry of Defence. The agency is responsible for the supply of materiel to the Swedish defence organisation. It is located in Stockholm.
The top part of the mess kit set could be used as a small pan or simply as a lid for the lower pot portion of the tin. The handle of the pan/lid has two folding "D" rings that enable it to be lifted with the aid of a stick when it gets too hot to touch or when placed over fire. There is a hook on the bail so that the tin can be suspended over a fire as well. The volume of the pot is 1.5 litre while that of the is 0.75 litre. Though having approximately the same volume as other mess kits of the period such as the German kochgeschirr, the Enmanskök Kokkärl M40 does not have the same kidney shape, but is oval and reminds one of the British Army Dixie.
During the WW2 years, the mess tin set was buckled to the outside of the trooper’s backpack. However, in more recent years it has been carried inside the pack. The nickname for these mess tins was "Snuskburken", which in English means something like "filthy jar", due to the reputation these tins had when they were not cleaned regularly!
The mess tin set came accompanied by a wind shield set which consisted in a windshield, a met burner and an alcohol flask. This wind shield set – Enmanskok Mt – was a later addition. The meth burner (by Svea), which uses alcohol or tenol, is made of brass. It can burn up to one half hour which is enough to cook a meal and a cup of coffee/tea. However, though always carried in the field, the burner was seldom used as food was normally cooked in a field kitchen. Other accessories to this set were: a can opener, a 3-part cutlery set, a cup, a towel and disc pads.