Never seen a cartridge belt that has looked like this, 1945 dated.

[WWII_GI]

Just picked this one up the other day and I'm stumped... Never seen one like this, its dated 1945 and has a markers mark but I cant make it out. The belt also has the dividers in each pocket, weren't those deleted in these later belts? Has anyone seen one like this?

 

Thanks

-Steven

 

[WWII_GI]

[WWII_GI]

[oldabewla]

Your belt is marked (Hinson MFG Co 1945) looks to be done in the late WWI material and construction plus material but in the OD Green.

 

Some of the early 1945 dated belts would still have the dividers your belt could very well be made from m1944 pack material or they were experimental with it. Very cool belt.

 

The flap corners are tuck to the insides and sewn this was done for stronger construction as this is a lighter material than normally used.

[oldabewla]

Or were using up pre exsisting material stock of which they may not had the material they used for cartridge belt?

['Flage Guy]

Don't know what to say about that one...you made quite a score there!!

[patches]

What's that A-18-I or maybe A-18-1???

 

If so, maybe stands for A Company 18th Infantry 1st Battalion, or A Company 18th Infantry 1st Infantry Division??

 

[WWII_GI]

Thanks for the responses guys! It definitely has seen some use, not sure what the marking reads, on the inside flap there is "A28" as well as a faded laundry stamp. Another oddity is that one side uses lift a dot snaps marked "Klikit pull" and the other side has ones just marked with the dot. Been looking all over and haven't seen anything like it. Maybe some factories experiment that made its way into service?

 

-Steven

[oldabewla]

If you ever had work in manufacturing like I do and needed to get something out the door real quick or to fill a order and all you had was odds and end to complete that order this what I think they did. As Larry the cable guy would say Get r Done!

The US wasn't like the German which it had to be perfect before it left the factory and late war they started to let it side and that's why they lost the war.

 

Hinson is in Waterloo, Iowa they most likely were filling a small contract orders of cartridge belts and were using up what they had on hand to complete it.

 

The reason why the belt is constructed in the fashion of a late wwi belt because of the two piece front packet is the canvas is the more thinner material than normally used with the cartridge belts.

 

Remember Hinson they were making m1944 & m1945 pack at that time in the war and that material looks like pack material.

[Username]

Very interesting belt. Never seen one before but it seems right at home in 1945. It can clearly be seen how when 1945 came around and there was decreased urgency for fast production, companies began making more cost effective decisions such as using up old stock. It's made exclusively out of cotton duck fabric. Some similar belts were made by Long in 1918-19. The woven Mills belts were not as economical as fabric or webbing, so It's easy to see how using webbing to construct these belts would be the fastest and most economical method. But never the less it's not too hard to imagine Hinson having a large surplus of OD fabric to use up. Manufacturing belts in this fashion would have been a good way to use up old stock and save some cash, but would be far slower than using webbing. By 1945 there was surely less of a need to be fast, allowing for some money saving choices like this to be made. The unmarked snaps with the dot are all made by RAU, Klikit snaps are also RAU. Lift the dot snaps are made by United Carr. The snaps used on these belts aren't really and indicator of much, production companies used whatever was on hand.

 

Very cool belt!!!