US Field Gear

[Mitter2k1]

I posted my US WWI uniforms yesterday and thought that I would show some of the US field gear I have. First up is the US Short Box Respirator. This one is named to a R.R. Pollock that was in the 2nd Division 23rd Regiment Co. B. It has an issue date of October 19, 1918 and the bag has the 2nd Division insignia painted on it. Its not the best artwork I have seen, but it is interesting.

[Mitter2k1]

Here are some of the Mess items. Unfortunately I do not have a fork at this time, and it has not been at the top of my list. There are two different sizes of meat can, a thick and a thin model. The leather sheath is for fork and there is also one for the knife (which I do not have) to keep them from punching a hole in the meat can pouch. The meat can pouch has two pouches, one on each side to store the utensils. The odd looking can on the bottom right is the condiment can. These were used for coffee, sugar, and salt. Currently I am in search of a Model of 1916 bacon can and my haversack would be complete except for a couple of items. The canteens are made by AGM Co. and B.A. Co. and dated 1918. The canteen on the far left is in exceptional shape and hasn't had the original texture rubbed off of it which is evident by how shiny the other two are.

[Khaki]

Hello Mitter2k1,

Interesting material, especially being named, look forward to seeing more.

regards

khaki

[Mitter2k1]

This is probably my favorite part of my collection, the ammo belts. The first one is a unidentified pistol belt and I added a period Mills magazine pouch and holster to it. This holster is my display one and you can see that it has some damage to it caused by some sort of vermin. The next is a Russell 10 pocket belt which is similar to the Mills style in regards to the "puckered" pockets. The 9 pocket mounted belt is made by Plant Bros. and has a magazine pouch by the same maker. Finally is the modified Mills 9 pocket. These had an extra, non-matching pocket added to them to meet the demand for a standard dismounted belt for the Infantry.

[Mitter2k1]

Finally is the M1910 Haversack. This is mostly complete with entrenching tool, e-tool carrier, pack tail, shelter half and period wool blanket. I would show the shelter half and blanket except it is a huge pain to repack. This system is definitely interesting, and after assembling and putting it on a mannequin, I can see why it was despised by the soldiers that had to use it. I used my brother as a dummy to see how it felt. He is about 5' 7" and 150lbs and he said it was very uncomfortable. The straps cut into his armpits and no matter how it was adjusted, he said that it never felt right at any point. Anyways here it is on a torso mannequin with a M1917 wool coat.

[Mitter2k1]

If anyone would like more pictures of the items here, let me know. I can take more to show some of the detail if you would like. And if you have any questions, fire away.

Thanks for looking,

Michael M.

[bill24chev]

And I thought British '58 Pattern webbing was horendous.

The "Haversack" looks to me to be a standard "Kit Bag" with straps and things added to carry the equipment and wear on the shoulders. I suspect a long route march with that on your back would be an ordeal, no woner it was disliked.

[Mitter2k1]

The haversack is quite a confusing piece. And it's assembly takes two men to do correctly. I'll try to find a pic of it disassembled to show it spread out. It was versatile in the manner in which it could be packed. I think there were 4 ways in which it could be done to suit the purpose-with the shelter half, without the shelter half and with or without rations. Plus the "pack carrier" or bottom attachment could be left off. It was attached via a leather lace. When the carrier was used, the long straps were supposed to attach to the rings at the bottom. When the carrier wasn't used the same straps would attach the the back of the ammo belt. Plus there was a short strap that would be used to hook into the center eye of the adjusting strap on the ammo belt. When the ammo belt was adjusted the center of the 3 eyes had to remain in the center. With all of that said, just the confusion surrounding the system is enough to drive sound men mad. And to think we revised the M1910 and called it the M1928 that the US used in WWII. It is a train wreck to say the least.

[Khaki]

Hello Michael,

great photo's, a silly question, but in relation to infantry webbing, why do they call it 'dismounted' ?

khaki

[Mitter2k1]

Basically the mounted 9 pocket belt was used by Cavalry and NCO's. This belt allowed for the soldier to be issued a side arm. The regular infantryman didn't need a handgun, so the space is filled with another ammo pouch. This allowed for 10 more rounds of 30-06 to be carried on the belt. So mounted=on horse back, dismounted=on foot. I hope this explains it a little for you.

Also I have something else on the way that I'll be posting in this thread soon. So stay tuned for an interesting addition.

Also if you have questions or want to see more photos of some of the items let me know. I'm going to make an adjustment to my haversack so I'll be able to break it down and show it in a disassembled state.

Thanks,

Mike M.

[Khaki]

Thanks Mike,

I figured the 'mounted' must have had something to do with horses, but I was unaware of the 'trade off' between a pistol and (or) an extra ammo pouch

regards

khaki

[Mitter2k1]

It was actually an ingenious idea to leave off one ammo pocket to put a mag pouch in its place. Personally I would prefer to have a sidearm. You figure you get 14 extra rounds divided into 2 magazines that load and can be shot a lot faster. Plus if you had a mag in the pistol, you would have 21 rounds of pistol ammo vs. 10 rifle rounds. Up close and personal, this setup would be ideal. But also keep in mind the ability to load a large, heavy rifle while on horseback as opposed to dropping the magazine and loading a new one in a pistol had its advantages. The only disadvantage I could think of is if the Soldier were issued a revolver instead of a semi-auto. With the rounds loaded in moon clips and trying to line them up and reload in a less than ideal situation could prove to be disastrous. But I believe the mounted belt was intended to be used with the 1911. I haven't done enough research to know if there were any intentions to use it with a revolver. Maybe Chris can weigh in on that.

Thanks,

Mike M.

[Khaki]

Hello Mike, what can you tell us about the summer weight uniforms? useage etc,

thanks

khaki

[Mitter2k1]

Khaki,

I'll post an answer in the thread I started on US uniforms.

Thanks,

Mike

[Mitter2k1]

I am not able to post pictures for some reason, however I have a link to my photobucket. This has Uniforms and Field Gear in two sub-albums. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks,

Michael M.

http://s1072.photobucket.com/user/Mitter2k1/library/WWI/WWI%20US%20Field%20Gear

[Mitter2k1]

Ok the issue with the photos has been resolved. So I will post some pics of my BAR Gunners belt and the newest addition, a Long 10 pocket belt.

First is the BAR Gunners belt. It is probably the largest ammo belt I've personally seen and probably the most interesting. These were fitted with 4 large pouches for the BAR magazines, a pouch for two magazines for the M1911 and lastly, a steel cup for the buttstock of the Browning Automatic Rifle. These belts saw very little service overseas, but they did see some action though it was limited due to when they arrived to the Front. The belt was worn with a pair of suspenders due to the weight and way they were used. The buttstock of the BAR was inserted into the cup and gave the gunner more control of the weapon when providing "walking fire". The gunner had two assistants, a 1st assistant and a 2nd assistant. They carried a similar belt with extra magazines (minus the cup) and I believe the 2nd assistant carried two bandoliers with extra magazines. If anyone knows the proper layout for a BAR gunner and the assistants, please let me know if I am mistaken. Anyways I thought that I would provide pics so you didn't have to chase my link to photobucket.

Thanks,

Mike M.

[Mitter2k1]

Here is another 10 pocket ammo belt made by Long in Feb. of 1918. It is nothing extravagant, but it is a nice example. If anyone would like me to post pics of something from photobucket, don't hesitate to ask. Just let me know what and I will make it happen.

Thanks,

Mike M.

[Mitter2k1]

Here are some additional photos of some of my field gear.

First up is the M1910 Entrenching tool and carrier. This is carried on the M1910 haversack underneath the meat can pouch via a brass hanger. The e-tool is inserted into the carrier with the contour of the shovel curving with the pack. This particular carrier I believe belonged to a unit that was stationed in the Hawaiian Dept. I am not too sure though and if anyone knows what the white markings are please let me know.

Next is the wool blanket. This would be folded and rolled up inside of the shelterhalf along with a number of other items like tent pegs, the tent pole and some clothing items. This blanket is actually in decent condition considering its age. The tag is intact and with a little research I was able to verify that it is indeed from the WWI era.

Thanks,

Mike

[Mitter2k1]

Here is the M1910 haversack. I disassembled this against my own judgement to show some of the features that it has. This system was universally despised and I can relate to the soldiers since it is in fact a nightmare to pack. It takes two people to successfully accomplish proper packing and I will hopefully never disassemble this again as long as I live. The first photo shows the pack unfolded with the pack tail attached. The pack tail was used to carry the shelterhalf, blanket and other items that were carried inside of the roll. This configuration was used for the full marching order.

This is the pack tail and it was attached with a leather lace rather than buttons or snaps.

This is the flap that held the rations and a few other items. The items would be placed where the flap is sewn to the pack and the flap rolled over then and tucked in. The strip of canvas down the center has loops that the top 2 straps would pass through to hold it in place. The pack would then be cinched up with these two straps. The long strap down the middle would then be brought up and used to hold down the flap. The roll (shelterhalf and blanket) would be inserted as far into the pack as possible. The 3rd strap would then be wrapped around the handle of the entrenching tool and then laced through the buckle and tightened. This would be followed by the 2 straps on the pack tail being brought across and tightened. The 2 long shoulder straps would then be attached to the 2 loops on the bottom of the tail. The shorter ones coming off of these main straps would be attached to the top, front eyes of the ammo belt on their respective sides. There is one short strap on the back side of the pack that would then be attached to the adjusting strap of the ammo belt in the center most hole. With all of that being said, you are ready to go. With all that being said, if this thing doesn't seem like a trainwreck, I don't know what does.

Mike

[Mitter2k1]

Here are a couple of pics of my M1916 holsters for the M1911 .45 pistol. These are dated 1917 and 1918. The 1918 one is the one I use for displays and is seen in a number of photos. The hanger has been replaced with a steel one from WWII and it still has the leather piece inside that helps hold the pistol in place. These were often removed due to making the weapon more difficult to remove from the holster. The holster dated 1917 is in good condition and the interior piece has been removed. It still has the original brass hanger and both holsters are missing the leather tie that goes on the bottom.

Mike

[Khaki]

Excellent thanks for the images,

khaki

[Mitter2k1]

Not a problem.

Thanks for looking,

Mike

[Mitter2k1]

If anyone has any US Field Gear that they would like to add, please do. I always enjoy seeing what others have.

Thanks,

Mike

[Mitter2k1]

Here are a few things I haven't posted yet. First up is a Squad Leaders pouch made by Powers in 1918. It measures 8"x5" and honestly I am not completely sure of the use. I have heard everything from diagnosis tags to foot powder. Next is another gas mask and the bag is made by Simmons in 1917. The mask has the yellow canister and yellow plastic lenses and they are in great shape which is more than I can say about the mask itself. The bag is named to a ChasL. Caler and it is unit marked HQ. DET. 310 TRN, HQ and M.P. Last up is a private purchase Officer's medical instrument kit named to a F.W. Mahan, 37th Div. 136th Bn. The kit is missing a few instruments but still retains the scissors, tweezers, scalpel, probe and eyedropper.

Thanks for looking,

Mike