Make a Transit case, need a German looking font?

ChevyM14 · Post by **ChevyM14** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 2:05 pm

I am going to take a wood Transit case for my MG34 when I get it and I am going to paint writing on the side of it but I want to use a good font this is what I have come up with. what font do you guys like? do you have any other ones of me? also what shod the case say?

Feldwebel 34 · Post by **Feldwebel 34** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 5:00 pm

I too have been wanting to build myself a transit chest for my MG34. I have a font that I can not seem to find other than in scale model references. It is called: Din 1451 Schablonenschrift A - German Luftwaffe WW2 stencil font. If you can find a resource for it, let me know! I would love to find it!
Eric

Abwehr · Post by **Abwehr** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 5:52 pm

I have the Luftwaffe Font on my home computer, but it will be about 6-8 weeks before I get back there. You should be able to do a search for "Luftwaffe Font" and find it free on the internet. This is about the closest I have found to a good German Font. At the worst case, there are a number of dealers for Fonts on the internet and I know they will have the Luftwaffe Font.

Post by **JBaum** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 10:18 pm

Choosing the correct font for a transit case will depend on what year your case will represent. Hitler changed the font from Luftwaffe/Fraktur on Jan. 3, 1941, to Antiqua, which is very similar the font we commone use called Times Roman. Therefore, a case for a gun after that date would correctly have a "normal" font. Older cases would have the old style.

Hitler decided tha the Jews were responsible for the old style font since they owned most of the newspapers, so he officially changed it.

This is a main reason that not even the German people can read the original manuals that I translate, unless they're at least 70 years old. They just didn't learn it in school.

Germans put the month first, so the date is Jan. 3, 1941.

Here's the English translation of the document changing the accepted font:

National Socialist German Workerâ€™s Party
The Deputy of the FÃ¼hrer
Chief of Staff - Munich 33, currently Obersalzberg, 1.3.1941
circular - (not for publication)

For general information I communicate the following in the name of the FÃ¼hrer:
To regard and designate the so-called Gothic writing as a German script is wrong. In reality the so-called Gothic writing consists of Schwabacher-Jew Letters. Just as they later possessed themselves of the newspapers, the Jews in Germany appropriated the printing shops upon the invention of printing, wherefrom resulted the intense use of the Schwabacher-Jew Letters.

Today, the FÃ¼hrer decided, in a conference with Reichsleiter Amann and the press owner, Mr. Adolf MÃ¼ller that the Antiqua-Type is henceforth designated as Standard Type. By and by, all printed materials shall be converted to this type.
As soon as it is possible with regards to school book production, Standard Script will be taught exclusively in rural and elementary schools

All officials will henceforth refrain from using the Schwabacher-Jew Letters; Commissions for officials, street signs, etc. will only be produced in Standard Type.
On the authority of the FÃ¼hrer, Reichsleiter Amann will first convert all those newspapers and magazines to Standard Type, which already have a foreign distribution, or where one is desired.

signed: Bormann

ChevyM14 · Post by **ChevyM14** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 10:28 pm

I found the the Luftwaffe font, and I think I am going to use that because I am going for the german look and it is a MG-34 (I dont know what yerar it was made because I am still wateing on it from TNW). BTW all the fonts that I find called Din 1451 look like plain block letters.

Post by **762x51** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 10:55 pm

I did a google search on Free Schwabacher Font and found this page:

http://www.creamundo.com/index.php?lang ... bacher+TTF

They also have "Antiqua" here: http://www.creamundo.com/index.php?busq ... ua&lang=en

Orin

Here is the Schwabacher Font I downloaded from this site

ChevyM14 · Post by **ChevyM14** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 11:32 pm

No one pick up on it (not even me!) but in my sample, #2 is luftwaffe!

I did not look at the name when I picked it, I just pick out some german looking fonts out of the computer, I must have a good eye

. I am also looking at a german MG42 manual in my "german Universal Machineguns" book, and the font on the manual is allmost the same as luftwaffe! Any way, what shood the case say on it. I was thinking:

Maschinengewehr 34
7.92mm

ChevyM14 · Post by **ChevyM14** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 9:36 am

I like the Alte Schwabacher font. I have been playing with it at work (I make goldleaf and vinyl decals for fire truck, police car and boar's head trucks). I think that it is the same font that they used on the german Universal Machineguns book. Tthinks to every one for all the help, I did not expect to get this many replays

Post by **JBaum** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:21 pm

If you want to be historically correct and accurate, you've misspelled maschinengewehr.

Look at the spelling on the cover of one of my manuals:

http://www.germanmanuals.com/images/41-18-0.jpg

The Germans use a lower case '"s", and upper case "S", and a middle case S that looks like a lower case "f" without the right part of the cross bar. An S which is not at the end of a syllable or word is spelled with a middle case S. Ever see the Declaration of Independence and notice how they spelled Congress with the first S being a curved line? Same thing.

A double S (SS) which is at the end of a syllable or word, which is not followed by a vowel, uses the double S symbol, which looks like a cursive capital B, but sits a little lower on the line. I can't do one here, it doesn't come out, but I'm sure you've seen it.

Next up is the "ch" combination. When used in the word maschinengewehr, the "ch" should have the letters touching each other in the middle. I don't know the reasons for that one.

Sorry, I've probably told you you more than you wanted to know already.

ChevyM14 · Post by **ChevyM14** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 2:14 pm

Is this right? also what do you think of the color of the box?

Post by **JBaum** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 5:06 pm

Text looks good now. That's about correct for the box color. You may want to go just a little lighter, as the lettering that I've seen was always in black, and there should be some contrast to make it easier to read.

Post by **tomcatshaas** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 2:42 pm

chevym14 are you going to make stencil and cut it out by hand?. Also here is what I found on fonts.

http://www.morscher.com/3r/fonts/fraktur.htm

TC

ChevyM14 · Post by **ChevyM14** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 1:34 pm

I make decals for a living, so I have a machine that cuts out letters (or any other shape that I come up with). I am going to use it to cut out the letters and use that for a temple.

ChevyM14 · Post by **ChevyM14** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 1:14 pm

how dos this look? I am going to make it the same color has this case. dos anyone know were I could get the hard ware for a case like this? also how do I use german letters on my computer, when I use alt + 0172 nouthing happens.

Post by **DARIVS ARCHITECTVS** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 6:13 pm

You can get inexpensive hinges and such off a wooden case of 1970's Romanian 8mm ammo. Ask your buddies if they have any of the ammo crates around. Since I do not believe that the Germans made transit cases for individual machine guns, the markings are pretty much up to you. I would suggest emulating a k98 crate, which was used to carry several rifles. The stenciled letters are not fancy at all. Also take a look at 8mm ammo crates. They have some nice paper labels glued to the sides and inside the lid. You can make a "period looking" crate to carry your gun in staying close to these themes.

Post by **JBaum** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 7:02 pm

ChevyM14 - considering that the white looks a whole lot better than the black with that color, I'd go with the white.

Darivs - they made not have made transit cases for individual guns, but they obviously made transit cases for pairs of guns.

Post by **tomcatshaas** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 8:35 pm

http://www.vandykes.com/subcategory/67/

here is one option I have been looking at for hardware. It's trunk restoration hardware. I haven't dicided yet.

TC