WWII US Med Dept steel bed - question

[Broccoli]

Hello,

I have allready asked for that few weeks ago on med-dept, but no answer arrived. It would help me a lot if anybody could help me.

 

I have 2 WWII U.S.A.M.D. marked steel beds - both with steel mattress supports held (longitudinaly) by springs. But it seemed there should be some kind of additional support across the bed, too. I have taken pics of the beds in Patton Museum in Pilsen - there are steel straps - 1 inch wide, 1mm thin and 86cm long.. but the straps are held to the sides of the bed frame just with a wire - shouldn't there be a spring, too?

 

Another thing - what does the mattress look like? on some show in Oregon I have ones - 1 piece mattresses with thin White/Blue struping, s it right? How wide the stripes are, please?

Sending some pics to show what I writing about

 

Thank you for reading this.

 

Regards,

Frankie

[RustyCanteen]

I can't answer all your questions because I have never attempted to study/research MD beds, but all the beds that I have ever seen of that style used springs where the wire is. That doesn't rule out wire in place of a spring, but that is what I am accustomed to seeing. The mattresses are just like you see in the photo with the stripes. I don't have measurements of the stripes but they are not that wide, perhaps around 6mm (rough estimate from memory).

 

Have you read through this section? It has a few threads on WWII era bedding materials: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/forum/1388-basebivouaccampdepot-items/

 

RC

[Broccoli]

Hello, RC,

 

thank you very much for your reply. I did not even know that this section exists. I have found the wooden bunks there, where the suspension is the same style. here it is - http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/43969-us-wooden-bunk-beds-1942/ - it's not clearly visible, but it seems there are springs.

 

In other thread there was a link to surplus shop, where they offer this http://store.colemans.com/cart/images/2972.gif

so - it definitely seems there are springs to hold those cross steel straps.

 

Thank you for help!

 

Regards,

 

Frankie