Original German WWII 10.5 cm leFH 18 Artillery Shell Transit Canister Found in Bastogne with Provenance COA Letter

Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. The 10.5 cm leFH 18 (German: leichte Feldhaubitze "light field howitzer") is a German light howitzer used in World War II and the standard artillery piece of the Wehrmacht, adopted for service in 1935 and used by all divisions and artillery battalions. From 1935 to the end of the war, 11,848 were produced, along with 10,265 of the leFH 18/40 variant.

This is a very interesting German transit canister for a round for the 10.5 cm leFH 18 Light Field Howitzer, which was found in Bastogne, “not far from where there is a monument today made using an LH18, that I think was actually used in the battle and found near the cache from which this case was recovered.”

The canister measures roughly 18 ½” tall when it’s closed and has a base diameter of 4 ¾”, and retains a label on the interior lid reading:

le F H 18 D
5 Gatzr. 1.-4. Ldgr.
Uus zuruchgel Teilkart.
Lfg. versch.
5 0 44
Zn D

The included provenance letter dated February 27th, 2006 also serves as a certificate of authenticity. The canister has very heavy oxidation as shown from being ground dug, but the latch thankfully still works.

Ready for further research and display.