Air corps Case? Unknown?

[Bataan1942]

I just picked up this case today. I believe it is an Air Corps item but I'm not sure. Looks to be WWII era but I'm not sure of that either. There is no maker or date. The only markings are "CASE, SQUADRON ENGINEERING TECHNICAL SUPPLY NO ." Also has "7200 - N.L." Each drawer has or had leather pull tabs on them. The box seems to be constructed of wood with a waxed outer. The box stands on end and opens like a suit case. There is various numbers written on the little drawers in grease pencil. Anyone have any ideas on this one or its era?

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

Looks to me like medical item trays, there was one like it in a local store along with a feild surgical table box, would have got it but they wanted $200. However with the markings on yours it seems like a parts bin for something.

[Bob Hudson]

What kinds of numbers are on the drawers? I can barely make out some in one of your photos and they appear to be numbers followed by the letter "K," such as 68k. Normally that would be a designation for resistors used in radios and other electronics.

[Bob Hudson]

In WWII AAF squadrons had Squadron Engineering and Technical Supply officers.

 

 

As you can see from this, at the squadron level they maintained a Squadron Engineering Set with 10 days of supplies:

 

 

In the Engineering Set were kits with tools and parts for armament, radio, crew chief, mechanic, etc

 

My guess is that your chest may have held parts for the radio repair kit. Seeing some of the other numbers written on the drawers could help pin that down.

[Bataan1942]

I'm not having much luck getting a good photo. Here is a few samples of the numbers found on the drawers: Drawer #1 has .5M .51M .56M / Next drawer down has : 20K 22K . Others have 200, 220, 240. 1.1k 1.2k 1.3k. 750 820. Most have multiple numbers and some have nothing at all. The larger drawers are unmarked.

[Bataan1942]

[Bob Hudson]

I'm not having much luck getting a good photo. Here is a few samples of the numbers found on the drawers: Drawer #1 has .5M .51M .56M / Next drawer down has : 20K 22K . Others have 200, 220, 240. 1.1k 1.2k 1.3k. 750 820. Most have multiple numbers and some have nothing at all. The larger drawers are unmarked.

 

That's what I expected: the ones that end in "M" held capacitors which are measured in "microfarads," while the ones ending in "K

held resistors which were measured in "kilohms."

 

So this would have been for the radio repair kit. They also would have had a supply of vacuum tubes: between tubes, capacitors and resistors you could fix almost any problem in radio gear of the day.