amazing ammunition bag

[shifty5580]

Hello Guys,

here is a new discovery, coming from France

This is two ammunition bag put togheter. It's an army production for me, it's the second bag like that we know in ETO

I suppose it was made for paratrooper, but with the name into it, I found it's coming from a 117th infantry regiment (30th division) veteran. There is two name inside

Somone have seen a similar bag and know his utility?

Thanks

Bertrand

 

[shifty5580]

 

[shifty5580]

The same bag that we know, same manufacture

 

 

[shifty5580]

[63 RECON]

that is cool, i believe some guys sewed them together to use as a backpack, like the musette bag.

[hbtcoveralls]

I know for certain that these type of conversions of ammo bags were done in the 1950s and 1960s for surplus sales in the US

 

Ammo bags were unsellable but put two of them together and you have a nifty backpack to sell to school kids and boy scouts

 

The name in the one bag really looks like ball point pen, so I wouldn't put much stock in it in my opinion

 

Tom Bowers

[Old Marine]

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/292337-altered-harian-extra-ammo-bag/

 

Here is a link to a post about those parts made packs.

 

Here in the states bags like the one you show and other odd concoctions were put together by War Surplus stores to make more usable back packs and school book bags. The narrow, deep ammo bags ,were good bags but as a civilian camping, hunting pack back or as a school bag they were pretty useless.

 

As I said in the 50s, 60, 70s and even the 80s these could be found in surplus stores and most collectors considered them surplus store creations and never thought much about them.

 

However, your bag was found in France, is dated 1944 and the 397th Infantry Regiment is part if the 100th Division that fought in France. So maybe, and this is just speculation, your bag was actually made in the ETO during the war. If for some reason that bag was actually sewn up in the ETO during the war that could be where the post war surplus dealers got the idea to cut up surplus gear and make bags with more commercial appeal. It's just a guess. Or maybe some American tourist in the 60s left it there.

 

We'll probably never know. Like I said this is all just speculation. As for now, with out some photographic proof, it's just a war surplus store creation.

 

It's still a neat piece.

 

Dennis

 

[huntssurplus]

Really interesting, is it possible the name is just from when the bags were separated?

Hunt

[Old Marine]

Really interesting, is it possible the name is just from when the bags were separated?

 

 

That's what I was thinking, who ever made that just grabbed 2 bags out of the pile and sewed then up. One just happened to have a name in it.

[63 RECON]

I know for certain that these type of conversions of ammo bags were done in the 1950s and 1960s for surplus sales in the US

 

Ammo bags were unsellable but put two of them together and you have a nifty backpack to sell to school kids and boy scouts

 

The name in the one bag really looks like ball point pen, so I wouldn't put much stock in it in my opinion

 

Tom Bowers

 

 

why wouldn't ball point be ok for ww2?

[hbtcoveralls]

 

 

why wouldn't ball point be ok for ww2?

Ball point pens were very rare and hyper expensive before and during WWII,

 

It wasn't until the 1960s that cheap ball point pens became widely available

 

During WWII the Fountain pen was the dominant type of pen in use around the globe

 

Tom Bowers

[robinb]

To be brutally honest, if that was my pack I'd cut off the good hardware and throw the canvas in the garbage can.

[milsurp_scout_14]

I've seen a few of these, but only owned this one (since sold, regrettably). They make excellent packs for militaria shows! Mine were two 45 dated Morrow-Douglas bags sewn together.

[milsurp_scout_14]

Back

[milsurp_scout_14]

Inside.

[ArchangelDM]

 

 

why wouldn't ball point be ok for ww2?

László Bíró first sold the ballpoint pen in 1938, just before the onset of WW2

 

Yours

Dean

[hbtcoveralls]

László Bíró first sold the ballpoint pen in 1938, just before the onset of WW2

 

Yours

Dean

Also, they were hyper expensive and not widely available

[ArchangelDM]

Also, they were hyper expensive and not widely available

Agreed on all counts, I would guess not many made it into the war. Maybe 1944-1945 you would have seen some in the field used by officers etc

[shifty5580]

Thanks a lot for your answer, I dont know really good this sort of bag

 

Bertrand