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US Army/USMC Impressions 1938 - 1968


dadwasajarhead
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dadwasajarhead
post-8820-1335546794.jpgAs promised here is my Operation Torch/Tanker impresion. I couldn't get the about face impression to upload for some reason. It really has less detail than the face front impression, anyway. Sorry it took so long to get it on here. This year's tax session was hellatious. All of the uniform/equipment is reproduction, except for my 1911A1, the comms equipment, and the .45 magazine pouch. Oh, I almost forgot, there is a real pair of 1942 vintage Nash-Kelvinator M3 (6X30) range-finding binoculars in that case! They cost me $200 on E-Bay. I bought them from a lady who's father carried them in WWII.
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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
dadwasajarhead
Looks pretty good - where'd you get the M16 from? Airsoft, or resin?

 

 

Hi Lewis505:

 

She's the real deal! A semi-auto C-15A1 from Century Arms. It is the only California legal AR-15A1 clone that I could find that is currently being manufactured fior sale in California. It has a "bullet button" which means that the magazine cannot be dropped unless you have a cartridge in your hand to use as a depressing tool. The magazines are 10/20s meaning that they cannot be made to hold 20 rounds. California law is 10 rounds max. A couple of things that I had to fix when I got the rifle. 1.) the pistol grip had a finger divider. 2.) the flash hider was a later type "bird-cage". I got authentic orignial smooth pistol grip and prong-type flash hider from Moore Militaria in Texas. I also got blanks and BFA in several sizes from him. He is an excellent source for Vietnam War reenacting items.

 

You may have noticed that I am wearing M58 first type utility fatigues. I got them and the insignia from Moore. The boots are of the original Mac Namara type, with the diamond tread. They were NOS on E-bay for $60.00. He has plenty of them in all sizes! The web gear is an accumulation of items (all authentic) over time. I have a plastic canteen that my dad bought for my brother in 1968, and is so stamped. The helmet liner is a 1980s vintage paratrooper type. The steel pot is actually Austrian. I changed the chinstrap to match the correct US type. The Mitchel-type helmet cover is from Moore, also. The dummy grenades are from Toy Soldier Workshop, in Hong Kong. They are being sold on E-bay for $30.00 ea. No trouble from US Customs on shipping (yet).

 

Regards,

 

Steve (dadwasajarhead) Speer

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  • 2 weeks later...
This is my impression for USMC Operation Hastings, South Vietnam 1965

 

FYI: One of my Marine buddies who was a Platoon Leader in K/3/5 was badly wounded on Operation Hastings. An old HS friend was among the many Marines killed on Hastings when the NVA sprang their initial ambush on I/3/5.

 

I had already signed up for the Marines on the delayed entry plan but hadn't yet reported for boot camp at the time of his funeral.

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dadwasajarhead
FYI: One of my Marine buddies who was a Platoon Leader in K/3/5 was badly wounded on Operation Hastings. An old HS friend was among the many Marines killed on Hastings when the NVA sprang their initial ambush on I/3/5.

 

I had already signed up for the Marines on the delayed entry plan but hadn't yet reported for boot camp at the time of his funeral.

Hi Bill,

 

Thanks for info. God bless all of the Marines that took our place, and continue to take our place, each and every day. My uncle was with 5th Marines during '65-68. I'm not sure if he made Hastings, but I have photos that he sent back from an amphibious landing, somewhere in South Vietnam. Maybe it was on Harvest Moon. My research shows that most Hastings actions were airmobile, using CH-34s.

 

I have been doing most of my research on USMC over the internet. Most posted pics of Hastings are very poor quality. I am not terribly satisfied with my Hastings impression. It looks more like a guy that just got out of AIT. In have talked to a few vets who told me that they always carried their shelter halves. That was also the period when flak vests hadn't yet shown up. As you know, the heat casualties in Nam were so bad that the flak vests just couldn't be worn on patrols. I think that I would have stripped down to T-shirt and lost the lower (knapsack) pack, if I was to redo the impression. Also, a machete would help.

 

My Khesan impression also needs to be redone. I would have worn third pattern jungle fatigues, instead of pattern '58s. Also, I would have worn jungle boots instead of the M51s.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Steve (Dadwasajarhead) Speer

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dadwasajarhead
post-8820-1339186947.jpgThis is my latest USMC impression. Thanks to National Capital Historic Sales (NCHS). They are the only source for green-dominant ERDL fatigues, that are the way that I remembered that they looked.
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dadwasajarhead
post-8820-1339187497.jpgHere is my LRRP Impression from 1970-71 for Laos/North Vietnam missions.
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dadwasajarhead

And here is the about-face for the LRRP impression. I don't know why the file for the face-post-8820-1339187865.jpgfront impression of USMC in Cambodia invasion (1970) was too large to upload. I guess that I will have to try it again.

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  • 3 weeks later...
dadwasajarhead

I am goint to try again with the Pusan Perimeter photos of US Army 1950. The last set was too large to get the About-Face.

 

post-8820-1340634542.jpg

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Hi Bill,

 

Thanks for info. God bless all of the Marines that took our place, and continue to take our place, each and every day. My uncle was with 5th Marines during '65-68. I'm not sure if he made Hastings, but I have photos that he sent back from an amphibious landing, somewhere in South Vietnam. Maybe it was on Harvest Moon. My research shows that most Hastings actions were airmobile, using CH-34s.

 

I have been doing most of my research on USMC over the internet. Most posted pics of Hastings are very poor quality. I am not terribly satisfied with my Hastings impression. It looks more like a guy that just got out of AIT. In have talked to a few vets who told me that they always carried their shelter halves. That was also the period when flak vests hadn't yet shown up. As you know, the heat casualties in Nam were so bad that the flak vests just couldn't be worn on patrols. I think that I would have stripped down to T-shirt and lost the lower (knapsack) pack, if I was to redo the impression. Also, a machete would help.

 

My Khesan impression also needs to be redone. I would have worn third pattern jungle fatigues, instead of pattern '58s. Also, I would have worn jungle boots instead of the M51s.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Steve (Dadwasajarhead) Speer

 

Nice! Thanks brother! Also - in your Cambodia USMC impression, is it a genuine jungle pack you have or an ALICE pack?

 

Cheers

 

Chris (lewis505)

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dadwasajarhead
Nice! Thanks brother! Also - in your Cambodia USMC impression, is it a genuine jungle pack you have or an ALICE pack?

 

Cheers

 

Chris (lewis505)

 

Hi Chris,

 

The USMC Cambodia 1970 has the green-dominant ERDL camos with a Nylon 1941 Haversack. This was a rare item that was made only in 1968. I put a machete on the back , in the position that was normally used for an E-tool. The M-16A1 has an early 30-round mag-pouch, and all of the canteen covers, etc. are nylon. I don't have the Face Forward pose uploaded yet.

 

The LRRP impression is Laos/North Vietnam 1971. It is a Tropical Rucksack, not an Alice. Date is 1968. The Alice actually evolved out of this pack and the lightweight (frame) rucksack. The Tropical Rucksack (as you may recal) had a steel X-Frame, and resembled the ARVN Pack, but was nylon, instead of cotton duck, and had three pouches, instead of two.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Steve

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Nice - I learned something today!

 

Thanks brother!

 

Hi Chris,

 

The USMC Cambodia 1970 has the green-dominant ERDL camos with a Nylon 1941 Haversack. This was a rare item that was made only in 1968. I put a machete on the back , in the position that was normally used for an E-tool. The M-16A1 has an early 30-round mag-pouch, and all of the canteen covers, etc. are nylon. I don't have the Face Forward pose uploaded yet.

 

The LRRP impression is Laos/North Vietnam 1971. It is a Tropical Rucksack, not an Alice. Date is 1968. The Alice actually evolved out of this pack and the lightweight (frame) rucksack. The Tropical Rucksack (as you may recal) had a steel X-Frame, and resembled the ARVN Pack, but was nylon, instead of cotton duck, and had three pouches, instead of two.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Steve

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  • 2 weeks later...
dadwasajarhead

This will be my last attempt to uploa the face-front for USMC Cambodia 1970.

 

post-8820-1342621513.jpg

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dadwasajarhead

This is my latest USMC. I stepped back to 1942 at Guadacanal. Note early eagle snap canteen cover, M1910 T-handle E-tool (unmarked carrier), and pith helmet. I also bleached the leggings to get them to the correct (yellow-sand) color. The dog tags that I am wearing belonged to my father (S.J. Speer ASN 605386, 1945-51). The old man (that's what we called him, but not to his face, yes sir!) said that pith helmets were still very big in boot camp at P.I. c. 1945, but very hard to find after that.

 

post-8820-1345309786.jpg

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dadwasajarhead

Here is another attempt to upload the about face. Also, note long M1905E1 bayonet with correct (leather-tipped) canvas cover.

 

post-8820-1345310678.jpg

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dadwasajarhead

:

 

After acquiring a copy of 782 Gear by Harlan Glenn, I realize that I have made at least three mistakes in my USMC Impressions:

 

1. The M1943 E-tools are not proper for impressions prior to the Iwo Jima Landing (February 1945). My Saipan and Tarawa impressions should have carried the same M1910 E-tool and cover that I used on my Guadalcanal impression.

 

2. The camouflaged shelter half and poncho would have not seen use until after the Bougainville landing. My Guadalcanal impression is, therefore, incorrect.

 

3. The "frog skin" P42 upper was not available until the Bougainville landing. It was also, therefore, incorrect for me to wear the P42 in my 1942 Guadalcanal impression.

 

Please accept my apologies! :blink:

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dadwasajarhead
:

 

After acquiring a copy of 782 Gear by Harlan Glenn, I realize that I have made at least three mistakes in my USMC Impressions:

 

1. The M1943 E-tools are not proper for impressions prior to the Iwo Jima Landing (February 1945). My Saipan and Tarawa impressions should have carried the same M1910 E-tool and cover that I used on my Guadalcanal impression.

 

2. The camouflaged shelter half and poncho would have not seen use until after the Bougainville landing. My Guadalcanal impression is, therefore, incorrect.

 

3. The "frog skin" P42 upper was not available until the Bougainville landing. It was also, therefore, incorrect for me to wear the P42 in my 1942 Guadalcanal impression.

 

Please accept my apologies! :blink:

 

As I get deeper into the details I found three more mistakes:

 

1. The P3 canteen cover is not correct for my Saipan or Tarawa impression, either. The P3 ("Mule Ear", or cross-over flaps) canteen cover was not seen in the field until after the Pelelieu Landing (September 1944). Since Saipan was June 1944 and Tarawa was February 1943, P2 or even P1 canteen cover would have been correct for those impresions.

 

2. The 1940-41 First Aid Dressing pouch was seen in use during the Solomons campaign, but would have been uncommon, as late as the Saipan Landing. It would possibly have been correct for the Tarawa Impression. The US Army M1924 and M1942 First Aid Dressing pouch would have been dominant in those later campaigns.

 

3. The second Saipan Impression shows the USMC Two-Pocket Grenade Carrier and the Three-Cell Thompson Submachine Gun Magazine Pouch. According to Harlan Glenn, neither of these items were issued to Marines in WWII, even though they were made during WWII. Note: a thread on this web site shows a single picture of the Two-Pocket Grenade Carrier being used in WWII.

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dadwasajarhead
As I get deeper into the details I found three more mistakes:

 

1. The P3 canteen cover is not correct for my Saipan or Tarawa impression, either. The P3 ("Mule Ear", or cross-over flaps) canteen cover was not seen in the field until after the Pelelieu Landing (September 1944). Since Saipan was June 1944 and Tarawa was February 1943, P2 or even P1 canteen cover would have been correct for those impresions.

 

2. The 1940-41 First Aid Dressing pouch was seen in use during the Solomons campaign, but would have been uncommon, as late as the Saipan Landing. It would possibly have been correct for the Tarawa Impression. The US Army M1924 and M1942 First Aid Dressing pouch would have been dominant in those later campaigns.

 

3. The second Saipan Impression shows the USMC Two-Pocket Grenade Carrier and the Three-Cell Thompson Submachine Gun Magazine Pouch. According to Harlan Glenn, neither of these items were issued to Marines in WWII, even though they were made during WWII. Note: a thread on this web site shows a single picture of the Two-Pocket Grenade Carrier being used in WWII.

This is the photo of the USMC BAR man with the two-pocket Grenade Carrier:

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...=2034&st=40

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  • 2 weeks later...
craig_pickrall

Impressive set of displays. That covers quite a time span.

 

I noticed the scabbard for your Ka-Bar is wrong. You are using one of the scabbards with the EGA impressed into the leather. That was sold as a commerative scabbard with a repro knife in the late 70's - early 80's. The scabbard you need is a darker leather and smooth. Look in the Knife Section and you can find a ton of them.

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  • 2 weeks later...
dadwasajarhead
Impressive set of displays. That covers quite a time span.

 

I noticed the scabbard for your Ka-Bar is wrong. You are using one of the scabbards with the EGA impressed into the leather. That was sold as a commerative scabbard with a repro knife in the late 70's - early 80's. The scabbard you need is a darker leather and smooth. Look in the Knife Section and you can find a ton of them.

 

Very good eye! Now that's what I am talking about. I want scrutiny folks. We are testing our knowledge of the past. The K-Bar scabbard is from a 1980s knife. It wasn't a commerative, but had the skinnier handle than the WWII models. I have an older model. The leather is dark brown from age. The handle is full diameter, but the scabbard still has that dang impression! I am placing it from the 1960s. Anybody know when K-Bar started stamping their scabbards?

 

I recall reading that marines started dyeing their holsters and scabbards with black shoe polish in WWII. Of course everyone knows that WWII USMC leather was really cordovan , not black, right?

 

I just bought a greeninsh-brown set of shelter half tie-ties. Come on guys, you should have caught that!

 

Thanks Craig - keep up the good work.

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