This is a hard one to shoehorn into a forum subject. During WWII, Britain participated in a reverse lend lease with the US. We are all familiar with the US supplying material to Britain as lend lease for military bases worldwide. Less well known is that in return, Britain furnished the US with some web gear. I have US pattern canteen covers made in Britian with their snaps, first aid pouches, magazine pouches and recently I found this British made and issued lightweight gas mask valiese with US stamped on it. Given the lack of information on these items, it is possible that a sharpied US dealer stamped surplus valieses with a fake US to somehow make them more marketable. I do know that US dealers have called these gas mask carriers, "Engineer's equipment bags" to move them. Has anyone encounterd any?
US use of Briitsh web gear
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Some US outfits fought under British command during WW1 and were issued Lee Enfield rifles and British standard web gear.
I would guess that some equipments were manufactured during WW2 for use by invasion forces . A US Paratrooper once wrote that they used British supplied .22 training rifles for target practice while awaiting orders before D-Day.
US supplied equipment in British use may have required home constructed replacement webbing on a US pattern.
I would guess that some equipments were manufactured during WW2 for use by invasion forces . A US Paratrooper once wrote that they used British supplied .22 training rifles for target practice while awaiting orders before D-Day.
US supplied equipment in British use may have required home constructed replacement webbing on a US pattern.
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Actually, US units serving with the BEF utilized standard US M1910 cartridge belts and M1910 Haversacks... that information was taken from the official unit histories of the 4th, 28th and 30th Infantry Divisions. There is a great War Department photograph of Company K, 111th Infantry receiving their SMLE rifles in Calais France on May 19th, 1918. They are wearing M1910 cartridge belts, and have P1907 bayonet scabbards afixed to the belts.
There was quite a bit of ww2 US web gear made in the UK during the war.
There was quite a bit of ww2 US web gear made in the UK during the war.
Brit Web Gear
This is a seldom examined subject for those who appreciate the often overlooked topic of soldier equipage. The British actually were very good customers of the early MILLS equipment as developed by the American inventor.
WWII brought a whole host of British mfg. field gear, including belts , suspenders , all types of pouches and uniforms as well. Many officers were good customers of British tailors. Some body should write a book.
This is a seldom examined subject for those who appreciate the often overlooked topic of soldier equipage. The British actually were very good customers of the early MILLS equipment as developed by the American inventor.
WWII brought a whole host of British mfg. field gear, including belts , suspenders , all types of pouches and uniforms as well. Many officers were good customers of British tailors. Some body should write a book.
Theres a photo of King George presenting a medal to a US soldier carrying an Enfield slung. I hadn't really looked at it that closely but the fellow who posted it said the web gear was British.
I'll look it up again and take a closer look.
PS
Yep its US gear, you can't see much of it but the fasteners are of the US type.
I had to transfer the JPG to myphoto editor to get the necessary magnification to be sure.
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The book?
Hi Retread,
the book would be titled "The Mills Equipment Company", the brainchild of John Lethern.
This was the company that designed the special looms to make British webbing prior to WW1 and manufactured and took out new patents until at least 1960. They made soldiers webbing, harnesses for aircraft and parachutes, just about everything you could think of. Their designs were used to make webbing in India and other countries as well, but usually modified to make use of local machinery which did not always have the same capability as the Mills machines.
Hi Retread,
the book would be titled "The Mills Equipment Company", the brainchild of John Lethern.
This was the company that designed the special looms to make British webbing prior to WW1 and manufactured and took out new patents until at least 1960. They made soldiers webbing, harnesses for aircraft and parachutes, just about everything you could think of. Their designs were used to make webbing in India and other countries as well, but usually modified to make use of local machinery which did not always have the same capability as the Mills machines.
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Col, Anson Mills, 5th United States Cavalry. Last stationed at Ft. Lowell Arizona Territory.
Web equipment was a hard sell to the Brits because of the Boer war, due to the cloth bandoleers used. Meant for one time use as are all of them, but due to shortages, they were re-used with the result that the ammo fell out of them. Boers would follow British columns and pick up the cartridges to use in their captured rifles.
This led to the false assumption by the War Office that webb equipment was somehow inferior to leather.
Web equipment was a hard sell to the Brits because of the Boer war, due to the cloth bandoleers used. Meant for one time use as are all of them, but due to shortages, they were re-used with the result that the ammo fell out of them. Boers would follow British columns and pick up the cartridges to use in their captured rifles.
This led to the false assumption by the War Office that webb equipment was somehow inferior to leather.
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call me a skeptic but that bit of kit looks like an indian reproduction piece to me- it looks too new and the british never sewed raw webbing down like that piece had
I used to work in a factory making webbing for the Australian army when i was an undergraduate in University
I used to work in a factory making webbing for the Australian army when i was an undergraduate in University
Images of Michigan's 339th Div. "The Polar Bears" show them using British web gear (and a few Webley revolvers) while fighting the Bulshaviks in North Russia 1918-1919. The Polar Bears used a mix of U.S., British and Russian equipment. Such as, Remington and Westinghouse contract Russian M91 rifles fitted with British mills slings.
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British military ammunition is issued in two types of packaging: cardboard boxes and disposable bandoleers. I believe that the theory is that the boxes are for use on the range and bandoleers on active service. However it has been my experience in peacetime you get what is on hand.
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I bought some surplus .303 ammo that came in stripper clips and cloth bandoliers. I still have them somewhere. I thought at first a dealer had sent Garand bandoliers except that they were hemmed.
I have one of each. I bought a bunch of stripper clips early on, then a pair of the Grey clip pouches , then a Garand bandoleer which is a fair fit, then a friend gave me the bandoleer and stripper clips that had come with some ammo he'd been given by a store owner after he'd spent a lot on sporting ammo for the Enfield he later sold to me.
Got plenty of clips and extra magazines plus two bandoleers and the set of clip pouches. The clip pouches are unissued very nice, got them for four bucks each.
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I've seen my share of British made first aid pounches, magazine pouches and canteen covers for sale on EBAY. Sometimes they have a different kind of metal snap without the little hole in them..
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I have a first aid pouch which is marked US on the outside with English production markings on the underside of the flap. Same size and hooks as USGI, but closes with the snap found on the British P37 front pouches.
Found it while rummaging through a box of US WW2 webbing bits a surplus dealer had just taken in.
Found it while rummaging through a box of US WW2 webbing bits a surplus dealer had just taken in.
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The use of Brit gear by US personel was common in the CBI. Look at one of the good books on the CBI and you will find pics of "GI's" using assorted Brit items even clothing. My Dad was an Aviation Engineer in the MED with the MAAF, he worked with Brits on the large airfield in and around Foggia. He told the story of a Brit plane circling his field one day, no one could understand until it landed and a very P.O.ed Brit Major and Capt got out, marched over to one of the Gallion(sp?) road graders................seems some GI had "Borrow it" from the Brits in N. Africa (since it had a cab on it and the US ones did not) and they just got around to finding it a year later. He also traded his M-41 field jacket for a Brit "bush jacket" which I have.
BTW check out "Gear Up" or Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens" to see how much flight gear the Fly Boys used.
BTW check out "Gear Up" or Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens" to see how much flight gear the Fly Boys used.
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