Username Posted May 3, 2016 Share #1 Posted May 3, 2016 A friend of mine showed me this demolition bag. It's the earlier pattern meant for 20 blocks of TNT. It belongs to a friend of his who had a relative that fought in the ETO. Apparently they also have a lot of other souvenirs that were brought back. Including some brand new German pistols that hadn't been fired since the war! I never expected to see another one of these bags since I already managed to get my hands on one. I have seen a few pictures of these online, but never one for sale. Unfortunately, this one was also not for sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Username Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share #2 Posted May 3, 2016 More pics... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Username Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share #3 Posted May 3, 2016 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Username Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share #4 Posted May 3, 2016 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGrayGhost Posted May 3, 2016 Share #5 Posted May 3, 2016 Wow, that one is in really good condition! Yeah, these things are rarer than hens teeth, I'm amazed you have managed to see two of them. This is on my hot list, but I have yet to even see one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtpeter Posted May 4, 2016 Share #6 Posted May 4, 2016 Those are great, rare bags. When I got mine, it was labeled as a WW1 gas mask bag and priced accordingly (read cheap). Was showing the bag to a friend of mine who said he just picked up the same bag at a garage sale. He sold it thru a non-advertised deal with a forum member for a price appropriate for its rarity and desirability. Let's just say that it help my friend pay for his wedding I'm still trying to find the smaller bag used for the tools as well as the tray that stored the tools. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Username Posted May 8, 2016 Author Share #7 Posted May 8, 2016 Just witnessed this bag on eBay, and it's NOS! unfortunately it was removed soon after it was listed. I'm assuming on an offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGrayGhost Posted May 9, 2016 Share #8 Posted May 9, 2016 You are 100% correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGrayGhost Posted May 11, 2016 Share #9 Posted May 11, 2016 I was the one who snagged the bag listed on eBay. It appears to be unissued and in excellent condition. It looks even better fully loaded with 1/2 lb TNT blocks! (my own reproductions) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vzemke Posted May 12, 2016 Share #10 Posted May 12, 2016 You are 100% correct. Unlike many "offers" on eBay, TheGrayGhost made an offer that was very fair to both parties and I'm glad to see that it is now in good hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Username Posted May 12, 2016 Author Share #11 Posted May 12, 2016 I was the one who snagged the bag listed on eBay. It appears to be unissued and in excellent condition. It looks even better fully loaded with 1/2 lb TNT blocks! (my own reproductions) Wow! That bag really is new old stock. Those TNT blocks look great! I have been looking to find some to fill my own bag. But it looks like my best bet would be to make them myself. Thanks for posting pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesy1275 Posted May 12, 2016 Share #12 Posted May 12, 2016 Great looking bag and the addition of TNT looks the business. I made my own blocks some years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGrayGhost Posted May 12, 2016 Share #13 Posted May 12, 2016 Wow! That bag really is new old stock. Those TNT blocks look great! I have been looking to find some to fill my own bag. But it looks like my best bet would be to make them myself. Thanks for posting pictures! Thanks! I am very happy with it! And special thanks to vzemke, you really made me a happy man! It's pretty fun and can be fairly inexpensive to make your own blocks, depending upon how "realistic" you want them to be. Unfortunately, I am retentive when it comes to authenticity, so I am still working out the details on mine. I am considering selling them if there is enough interest (to recoup some of my time and cost in making them). I procured an original 1/2 lb block since I started this project and realized the base color is off, it's more orange-yellow than pure yellow. I am going to make another run to get them spot on. I am currently working on a way to create a mold in order to pressure mold the tin end caps. I have a few ideas, so it will just be a matter of testing. The whole idea is that these will be an exact duplicate of the original, I will mark them "inert" and may also need to add another mark just so they cannot not be mistaken or dishonestly resold as originals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy144 Posted May 12, 2016 Share #14 Posted May 12, 2016 Hi Well that is a first, an unissued one... The only comment I would have is the stitching almost looks too good. The examples I have handled all have the same rough made look, similar to rigger made equipment. A cool bag. Regards Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGrayGhost Posted May 12, 2016 Share #15 Posted May 12, 2016 Tom, you are correct. It's hard to see in the pictures, but there is a degree of "roughness", especially in the flap. There are no maker marks that I can find whatsoever, so these must have all been unmarked. I would love to know more about these bags, but info is sparse. Does anyone know who made these or even when these were made? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy144 Posted May 12, 2016 Share #16 Posted May 12, 2016 Hi Both the large and small satchel are all unmarked, I believe they were made in the UK as the material and the way they are constructed is very similar to a British gas mask bag. They are famously pictured at Greenham Common on D-Day minus 1 having been issued to 502nd. I have come across 2 varieties, the buckles are different. One has similar to a GP ammo bag flat pressed buckle and the other has a larger cast metal buckles. There are not that many known examples, but I have seen a couple for sale. Regards Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Username Posted May 13, 2016 Author Share #17 Posted May 13, 2016 Thanks! I am very happy with it! And special thanks to vzemke, you really made me a happy man! It's pretty fun and can be fairly inexpensive to make your own blocks, depending upon how "realistic" you want them to be. Unfortunately, I am retentive when it comes to authenticity, so I am still working out the details on mine. I am considering selling them if there is enough interest (to recoup some of my time and cost in making them). I procured an original 1/2 lb block since I started this project and realized the base color is off, it's more orange-yellow than pure yellow. I am going to make another run to get them spot on. I am currently working on a way to create a mold in order to pressure mold the tin end caps. I have a few ideas, so it will just be a matter of testing. The whole idea is that these will be an exact duplicate of the original, I will mark them "inert" and may also need to add another mark just so they cannot not be mistaken or dishonestly resold as originals. I have been thinking about making my own for months. I also want to hold off until I can get them perfect. It's been pretty low on my priority list, but I know a guy who could pressure mold the end caps for me so that's a start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Username Posted May 13, 2016 Author Share #18 Posted May 13, 2016 Tom, you are correct. It's hard to see in the pictures, but there is a degree of "roughness", especially in the flap. There are no maker marks that I can find whatsoever, so these must have all been unmarked. I would love to know more about these bags, but info is sparse. Does anyone know who made these or even when these were made? I have been really curious about when these bags were made. I have seen a few variants of this bag. Some made with different buckles and material. Your bag looks to have the standard OD #3 fabric and webbing. The others I have seen look more ww1 tan. I have a tan one that has the older cast buckles and square clips. The color and material on this one gives it kind of a pre-wwii appearance. It's hard to tell for sure when these were made, but I don't imagine they would have been made much longer after 1942. Do you know when this style of TNT block was first introduced? Here is some pics of my bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Username Posted May 13, 2016 Author Share #19 Posted May 13, 2016 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinb Posted May 13, 2016 Share #20 Posted May 13, 2016 The rivets that are used to attach the buckles are interesting. I wouldn't normally equate rivets with US web gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGrayGhost Posted May 13, 2016 Share #21 Posted May 13, 2016 I hadn't noticed that. It appears Username's bag is just slightly different. His bag has squared strap ends like the shoulder strap. Both my bag and the other are not riveted and have a rounded strap end. I would assume Username's bag is probably an earlier production version. The canvas on my bag is a much heavier than most US gear I have seen. However, it is perfectly sized to hold exactly 20 blocks of 1/2lb TNT. Did any other military use blocks like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Username Posted May 14, 2016 Author Share #22 Posted May 14, 2016 Here are some better pictures of my bag. The others I posted were just the ones from the ebay listing. The material differs from others I have seen, but it seems there is a fair amount of variance in construction when it comes to these. The buckles have a ww1 patent date on them so they are probably left over stock, and the rivets look like they are just there to hold the buckles in place. Without them there would be a little too much wiggle room between the buckle and the stitch. It's named to "J Tidwell" and I still have no idea what the markings mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Username Posted May 14, 2016 Author Share #23 Posted May 14, 2016 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Username Posted May 14, 2016 Author Share #24 Posted May 14, 2016 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Username Posted May 14, 2016 Author Share #25 Posted May 14, 2016 Looks like there may have been something written here at some point. 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