WWII Crap
Belgian L.702 civilian Gas Mask
Manufacturer: SBA, Leige, Belgium
Year: 1939
Country: Belgium + others
Production run: 1938-1940
Condition: OK - bit of rust on the canister
Numbers produced: 1 million+
Designation: Civilian - non military
Price: £8 free shipping
Vendor: private eBay seller
The rusty canister has saved the mask from damage
First Impressions
Looking through my gas mask cupboard recently I realised that I didn't own a Belgian gas mask? Well fancy that!
It so happened that a private seller on eBay was flogging two of these L.702's at a very low starting price. I couldn't resist.
Having secured one for about £8 I thought I may have snagged a bargain.....I wasn't wrong!.
Bearing in mind that this gas mask kit is 78 years old I was expecting to receive a delicate half perished rubbery mess.
This was not the case and although the outer metal canister was rusty in places, the actual mask and filter were in a reasonable condition.
A bit about the Belgian L.702
Belgium succumb to the Nazi war machine on the 10th of May 1940 following a Blitzkrieg invasion of epic proportions.
Like so many European countries at the time, Belgium had made some preparations for what was to come.
Nazi scum flood into Belgium may 1940
To protect its civilians the Belgium government commissioned the mass production of the L.702 gas mask kits to be distributed to as many of the population as possible.
Original WW2 Belgian poster
It is estimated that well over one million of these civilian masks were produced between 1938 and 1940. Subsequently the SBA factory was shut down by the Germans following the invasion. Production ceased indefinitely.
The face piece
The main face piece is made from a good quality thick rubber. Not the thin crap that we Brits were handing out during the war. These masks were made to last - and they have, its quite remarkable.
"Taille 1" - size 1 (kids)
With the exception of some slight corrosion around one eye pieces, the face piece could almost be new.
Heavy duty rubber straps ensure that the mask can be held securely against the face making a good seal.
Bakelite Inhale/Exhale value system
You can certainly tell the age of this mask by its use of Bakelite in the inhale/exhale. Bakelite (if you didn't know) was an early form of plastic which had a tendancy to be brittle.
The holes seen in the above photo are where air is exhaled directly above where the filter is fitted.
The inhale valve is a simple one-way flutter flap, nothing fancy.
The Filter
The filter which came with the mask is in really good condition apart from a small amount of rust along the top (see above pic).
Filter still sealed from 1939
The photo above shows the underside of filter. The inlet bung is still sealed and in place making this item 'new' so to speak.
It's nice to find an unissued mask kit that's almost 80 years old.
The filter seems to have passed quality control in 1939.
It's such a shame that the top of the filter has the rust on it. Otherwise this piece would be perfect.
I'm not too bothered by the rust if the truth be told. I was expecting much more degradation than this. I'm happy.
⚠Does this Filter contain Asbestos?⚠
All gas mask filters of this age will contain Asbestos as a filter medium. The dangers of inhaling Asbestos particles were not known at the time.
Instructions in French and Dutch
An added bonus to the kit is this instruction manual. Other than a few rusty water marks its perfectly in tact. Flicking through the pages I was amazed to see how well the instructions were presented.
Overall I think that this WWII gas mask kit is fantastic in design and really well made. I would certainly fancy my chances in a life or death situation with one of these over the crappy British civie masks of the time.
On reflection I wish I had bought the other L.702 which the seller was flogging. 😥😥😥
Rating: 👍👍👍👍. 4 out of 5
This is a great mask for collectors and it can be bought incredibly cheaply. If it comes in a metal tube then there's a great chance it will be in good condition or new unissued. What is there not to like?