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WWII E-9A Emergency Sustenance Kit - Restoration and Reference


Quest Master
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Quest Master

I thought I would start a thread for the WWII E-9A Desert and Ocean, Ration Aerial Delivery, Emergency Sustenance Kit. I obtained this kit several years ago. It was missing the lid and the hold down hardware. The harness was very badly damaged. Here is the restored version: Original container, replica lid and hold down hardware, replica harness with original hardware and original G-8 Parachute Pack. Enjoy!

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Quest Master

Markings on this kit:

Specification No. 94-40492-A

Stock No. 8300-559182

Order No. (33-038) 45-13346 AF

Standard Molding Company

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Charlie Flick

Great work! That must have taken a ton of effort.

 

What were the contents of this kit?

 

Charlie

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Quest Master

Thank you! I made the lid and closing latches myself from 16 gauge steel, welded and color matched as best as I could. I also sewed the harness, patterned from the original that I have.

 

As for the contents of the kit, they are shown in the nomenclature lable, picture #2 of this thread.

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I dont know much when it comes to WW2 survival gear, what exactly were these for? Was it carried on aircraft as a survival kit or were they dropped to downed crews that were in a hard to access area by search aircraft? That seems like a fairly good sized container, how many rations and other items listed there would be packed in that thing? Was a lunch time meal known as dinner? Would make sense to me growing up with some Italian blood in me having "Sunday Dinner" at an early afternoon lunch time. I see the rations labeled Breakfast, Lunch and Supper.

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Quest Master

Thank you for the praise!

 

To answer several questions at once, the E-9 was introduced November 27th 1942 for aircraft or aerial delivery and the E-9A introduced April 11th 1944, which was similar to the E-9 but an improved container, 35 pounds. Designated: Kit, Emergency Sustenance, Desert and Ocean Ration Aerial Delivery. It contained (as specified on the nomenclature label):

Water, Emergency, Drinking

U.S. Army Life Raft Rations

U.S. Army Field Rations, Type K, Breakfast, Dinner, Supper Units

 

Photo (National Air and Space Museum):

Kit, Emergency Sustenance, Type E-9A, Aerial Delivery, Desert and Ocean Rations, in use. 3/22/44. [Two men in flying helmets enjoy cigarettes and snacks from an Emergency Sustenance Kit]

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Quest Master

This is the Type E-9 Kit, Emergency Sustenance, Desert and Ocean Rations, Spec. No. 40492 taken April 29th 1943. The contents shown in this photo are similar to those carried in the E-9A, but the container is of a different style.

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Thats a helpful pic of the 2 crew, shows the size of the container in perspective. I thought it was a bit larger than that. When i looked up the E-9A all that I basically found was leading me back to this post and an earlier one by you showing a auctioned E-9A. Funny how little stuff there is out there on it. The same goes for when I try to look up OV-1 Mohawk survival stuff, I basically find my own posts and not much else beside references from the TMs etc that I already have. This WW2 survival stuff is dangerously addicting. I picked up a nice C-1 vest a couple months ago and trying not to get bit by the bug and filling it or collecting more WW2 survival gear.

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  • 7 months later...

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