US Equipment and Uniform Reference Thread.

[Parus Ater]

Corcoran Jump Boots; Issued to Paratroopers and a number of ground infantry and reputedly some mounted troops. Not much else to say really other than that these are of the same design as the lower garrison shoe which was also used in combat along side the roughout boot in Afrika and France until the M43 buckle boot came into supply. Notable design differences between the garrison shoe and jump boot are, garrison shoe hasn't got the chamfered heel, is lower, and has a different heel leather shape but the last two are hidden when using the leggings.

Notable features include the high gloss toe and heel, and the light leather showing on the arch of the sole between the tap and heel.

Please note, these boots are not original. They are however made in the USA buy the same company who made them during the war to the same pattern.

[Varus]

Very useful resource indeed! Thanks for the effort!

[Parus Ater]

Thanks mate, I do try at times.

I'm actually a WWII re-enactor so I've got a fair whack of kit so I'll be aiming to get as much as I can up on here. Just waiting for some decent light, the last few months has either been too dull, overcast or bright sunshine…. I've got other uniform pieces - every basic piece bar the M43 sets as they don't fit into the 2nd Ranger impression that my group does. Once that lt goes up then we'll have a pictorial thread of pretty much all that a non-airborne GI would be wearing so that can't be a bad thing, can it.

In about a month I'll be attending the biggest military vehicle show in Europe with the club's Chaffee's, a A1 Sherman and Hopefully the Jackson as well as a couple of weapon's carriers, jeeps and a M3 halftrack so I'll get some pictures of them for you guys as well as what everyone else has.

[canadasteve]

So a Member of Normandy44 then !!

[Parus Ater]

Hell yeah, man!

[canadasteve]

Was briefly myself untill funds stopped me doing it. Hows Dale and the boys doing ?

[Parus Ater]

They are not bad at all!

If I was you, I'd check in and see, www.n44.co.uk Have a forum, we do!

[Parus Ater]

I'll try to get some more photo's up on here in the next few weeks or so, once I've gotten over my, erm... flu variant. One pretty interesting item I picked up at last weeks War and Peace show was the M-1941 head toque which is basicaly a balaclava - a nice thing to paint onto a BaM mini for that freezing cold winter look.

[Parus Ater]

Bag, Carrying Ammunition, M1, AKA the GP ammo bag. A bag of multiple uses thus General Purpose. Commonly seen being used by GI's in all situations for carrying anything from grenades, mags and amunition, explosives, medical supplies - basically anything they needed extra space for.

Inside there's a fold away pocket compartment which is handy for keeping thompson/grease gun mags from rattling around inside or for small things like pencils, small tools etc.

How it works is that there's two stiched on straps with hooks the same as the ones on the suspenders and haversacks and these can connect to the gromits on the belts and the hooks from the haversack and suspenders which allow it to be slung low like a holster. Most likely is it being used with the carrying strap which is the same one that went with the mussette pack. The strap was adjustable and had D-Rings at either end since both bags it was used for have hooks. The bag would go over the opposite shoulder and either sit as is, have the web belt over it to hold it in place or be tied to the body with string using the D-Rings attached to the main body of the bag.

This particular one is curious since it's made for the US army but in Britain (by way of paying of the war debt from the lend lease Shermans and Thompson machine Guns) out of British military web parts. The canvas and buckles arethe same as used on British packs and belts giving the general impression of being an oversiized British ammo pocket. Other items of british made web were made, mainly carlisle pouches, canteen covers, haversacks and the various belts.

In the case of the GP bag, the size is slightly longer by about 5cm/2"

[Parus Ater]

Also, notice the clips on the British made item are different to those on the M-1928 haversack? With limited tooling those are what the british manufacturer came up with - a simple ugly design but more efficient and less inclined to break. The canvas is also very porous and sucks in moisture and dirt - the canvas afterall is the same as the British army and is supposed to be coloured by 'Blanco'. A number of the "British Made" M-1928 haversacks I've seen are also a very pea-ish green with tan edges. Nowhere near the OD7 shade of green - likely akin to GW's "Camo Green" with a yellow highlight.

Almost all Brit made items are dated 1944 which would position them in the European Theatre on 6th June 1944