'H...' and 'V...' markings on WW2 German army horseshoes

FieldForge · Fri May 15, 2020 4:17 am

I have a number of German army horseshoes from WW2.
They are all marked with either an 'H..' number or a 'V...' number - e.g. 'H1', 'H7' or 'V7', 'V8', 'V12'.
The larger the size of the horseshoe, the bigger the number which follows the H or the V.
I have always assumed that the 'H' stood for 'Heer' (army), as various other contemporary army farrier and other tools etc are marked with an 'H' for Heer.

However, can anyone tell me (a) is my assumption about the 'H' correct, and (b) if so, why are some of the horseshoes marked 'V...', and what did the 'V...' stand for?

I would add that some of the horseshoes are also marked with:
- the year of manufacture ('1939', '1944' etc).
- a three-letter wartime manufacturer's code (e.g. 'HAU', which I believe was the code for Mettal-u. Lackierwaren AG Ludwigsburg) - the use of the code rather than the name being designed to avoid assisting the allies in their selection of bombing targets.

Any information re the above query gratefully received!

Eukalyptus44 · Tue Jul 28, 2020 12:11 pm

Quite simple

V= Vorne = Front
H= Hinten =Back

And the number is the size

: heereshufeisen 32.jpg (195.91 KiB) Viewed 1412 times

Ralph Lovett · Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:13 am

Out of curiosity, what document is the illustration of the horse shoe from? May I use this illustration on my web page on German Farrer equipment?

Thanks for posting this.

R/

Ralph Lovett

FieldForge · Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:31 am

Thank you very much indeed for answering my query Eukalyptus44, and for posting the diagram - greatly appreciated.

By the way, I have also posted a query in the forum about German Ox Shoes. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13139
Your answer above explains why some of the Ox Shoes are also marked V.. and H.. , but if you happened to know the answer to any of my other queries re German Ox Shoes I would be very interested to know!

Very many thanks again.

Eukalyptus44 · Sun Aug 02, 2020 9:25 am

Ralph Lovett wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:13 am Out of curiosity, what document is the illustration of the horse shoe from? May I use this illustration on my web page on German Farrer equipment?

Thanks for posting this.

R/

Ralph Lovett

Hi Ralph,

I found it on the internet myself, when looking for more info on the German horseshoe.
Not sure from what document it is. It's not in the "KavallerieFibel", it's more a technical drawing for factory use.

Some great info and pictures on this page --> http://www.project1944.be/Fahnenschmied ... hmied.html

Kr
Peter

Eukalyptus44 · Sun Aug 02, 2020 9:46 am

FieldForge wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:31 am Thank you very much indeed for answering my query Eukalyptus44, and for posting the diagram - greatly appreciated.

By the way, I have also posted a query in the forum about German Ox Shoes. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13139
Your answer above explains why some of the Ox Shoes are also marked V.. and H.. , but if you happened to know the answer to any of my other queries re German Ox Shoes I would be very interested to know!

Very many thanks again.

You're welcome.

Just had a look at the ox topic. The markings would indeed make sense for these animals. needing a left and right shoe per leg.
I had no clue these actually were using them. I had seen pictures of the animals being used.
Can't help you on the crown markings, sorry.

FieldForge · Sun Aug 02, 2020 10:12 am

Thank you very much.
Best wishes.