Michigan Dawg Posted March 3, 2018 Share #1 Posted March 3, 2018 Did the Sam Browne belt as worn by US Army officers typically or usually feature a sword hanger/hook as part of the belt's construction? Thanks for any information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIl Sanow Posted March 3, 2018 Share #2 Posted March 3, 2018 From my experience, US officers typically wore Brit style Sam Browns in WW1. These usually had 2 brass D-rings on the left side for attaching the sword. (Pre war US sword belts lacked the shoulder straps. Postwar US made belts lacked the D-rings. The sword was hung from a leather hanger, connected with a chain with a hook.) These could easily be detached for wear without the sword. There was also a field version worn in the '20s with double shoulder straps to support the weight of the canteen, aid pouch, pistol holster and mag pouch. G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michigan Dawg Posted March 3, 2018 Author Share #3 Posted March 3, 2018 Gil, exactly what I needed to know. Thanks very much for answering my question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michigan Dawg Posted March 3, 2018 Author Share #4 Posted March 3, 2018 Could I ask one more question please? What is the purpose of the hook shown in the photo below? Is is part of the sword hanging system or does it serve some other function? Thanks very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
world war I nerd Posted March 3, 2018 Share #5 Posted March 3, 2018 Dawg, US officers were forbidden to wear a Sam Browne Belt, or as they were known in America as the "Liberty Belt" stateside. Most officers purchased them either at one of the ports of embarkation along the eastern coat of the U.S. or upon arrival in either France or the United Kingdom. Hence they could be of U.S., French or British manufacture, and therefore appeared in a variety of configurations ... with & without reinforcing stitching, with & without a saber hook, with eyelets along the bottom edge from which U.S. 1910 pattern equipment could be hung, with small loops or pouches into which a whistle or compass would fit, etc. However, in general, most Sam Browne's did feature any number of D-rings along the bottom edge. These were used to hang equipment such as binocular & map cases, musette bags, etc. The hook you both mentioned and posted was indeed for hanging the officers saber while on foot. If not hooked, the saber would drag on the ground when walking. Anyway, to answer your question ... yes most AEF officers, did wear Sam Browne belts with hooks. Attached are four examples. In this case officers of the 40th & 77th Division are wearing belts with the sword hook on the belt's left hand side. Photos courtesy of the John Adams-Graf collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
world war I nerd Posted March 3, 2018 Share #6 Posted March 3, 2018 Here Tank Corps & Infantry officers are wearing Sam Browne belts with hooks. I could easily add 20 or 30 more photos showing AEF officers wearing Sam Browne belts with sword hooks attached to them. There are also pictures of General Pershing in France with his officer's saber hooked onto a Sam Browne Belt. Photos courtesy of the John Adams-Graf collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michigan Dawg Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share #7 Posted March 4, 2018 ww1 nerd, thanks so much for the very useful information. Appreciate your help greatly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
world war I nerd Posted March 4, 2018 Share #8 Posted March 4, 2018 No problem. happy to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now