Two adjacent grommets could be used to attach the metal hook on the accessory item. The attachment system was the same for all items: the belts (and also tabs on the packs) had evenly spaced metal grommets. Other equipment (First Aid Pouch, bayonet, canteen, intrenching tool, etc.) clipped onto the belt or to the suspenders. Separate M-1936 suspenders were attached to the cartridge belt (without the pack). The M-1910 designs were upgraded many times while retaining their general design and purpose.įor the M-1928 pack, a minor change to the M-1910 pack, the suspenders were attached to the pack as you can see in the drawing of a 1941 soldier and his equipment to the left. The M-1910 Haversack (pack) and straps could take the place of the suspenders. Made of khaki webbing and canvas duck, this basic system had an equipment belt (cartridge or pistol), supported by suspenders that clipped to the belt on each side of the front buckle and in the middle of the back. Army Infantry Board developed its first standard set of soldier's equipment, designed to distribute the weight of the equipment around the body. Even new-pattern equipment like the M-1943 intrenching tool covers were made in older khaki or OD #3 canvas or webbing. Transitional items can still be found with a body of one color and trim pieces of another. Manufacturing was also uneven as supplies of old fabrics were used up. Late in World War II you could find groups equipped with all the new gear in OD #7, with all khaki gear, or mostly random mixtures as determined by chance supply irregularities. military was very slow and uneven to introduce these color changes, and equipment updates that went with them. Starting in 1943 new equipment was introduced, as well as clothing, in the darker shade Olive Drab #7, seen in the example pouch on the right. But a new color was introduced at the start of the war: Olive Drab #3, the light greenish shade of the center pouch. You can find examples of the First Aid Pouch for the Carlisle bandage such as the one on the left with date stamps in the 1940s. and it continued to be produced until at least 1943. This pre-war equipment was still in inventory when World War II started for the U.S.
There were many exceptions, of course, in the vast array of Army procurement, but generally the color was khaki. This tan/sand color was used not only for webbing, but for uniforms, tents, truck tarps, etc. web gear issued to Army units (or units using Army-spec equipment) was in Olive Drab #9, commonly but unofficially called khaki. Webbing Colors: Left: Khaki, Center: OD #3, Right: OD #7.īefore World War II all U.S.
Every soldier had web gear, in the form of cartridge and pistol belts, suspenders, and the bags, pouches and packs that he carried.