GP Tents

[Constabulary]

Does some one know when the GP Small / Medium / Large tents have been introduced?

I assume in the 1950s but can´t find any information or dated manuals.

 

The forerunner are the M-1942 pyramide tents, right?

[med-dept]

The forerunner of the GP Tents would have been the M1942 Squad Tent, which itself was an evolution of the M1934 Pyramidal Tent, after the US Army changed the number of men in a Squad.

 

Unfortunately I can't tell you the precise date of which the General Puprose tents were introduced.

 

Cheers,

Ben

[Constabulary]

Thanks!

 

So I´d that they have not been introduced in the 1940´s - right?

[med-dept]

Yes, you're correct!

 

Thanks,

Ben

[sgtbrown]

Regretfully, I am not at home and nowhere near my references but I believe you will find that the GP Medium and GP Large tents were WWII issue but under other names. If I remember right, the WWII version of the GP Large had a hospital tent designation. The GP Small was definitely NOT WWII.

 

NOTE: The log of my being wrong is 2" thick and I am on Volume #4!

 

Tom

[med-dept]

Tom,

 

Although there existed tents which were similar to the GP Medium and GP Large during WW2, there pattern and designation was not similar. The walls and overall construction of the GP tents was different to their WW2 counterparts. But I do believe that all of the GP Tents were evolutions of some WW2 specifications. For example, as you say the GP Large seems a natural offspring of the Tent, Hospital Ward, and as I have already said, the GP Medium Tent seems to have been based upon the M1942 Squad Tent.

 

Here's a comparison of the GP Large Tent, with the Tent, Hospital Ward:

 

Tent, Hospital Ward:

Courtesy of Strictly GI

 

Tent, General Purpose, Large:

 

And here's a comparrison of the GP Medium Tent, with the Tent, Squad, M1942:

 

Tent, Squad, M1942:

Courtesy of Strictly GI

 

Tent, General Purpose, Medium:

 

So as you can see from the comparisons above, although the overall size and some aspects of the design are similar to their WW2 counterparts, it isn't actually correct to say that the General Purpose Tents were introduced during WW2.

 

Thanks,

Ben

[craig_pickrall]

There appears to have been a re-design and updating of tentage during 1956. You might look there to see if that was the original introduction date.

[Constabulary]

Aren´t these GP Tents? Pic was taken in Korea 1953

 

 

original source - click here

 

There appears to have been a re-design and updating of tentage during 1956. You might look there to see if that was the original introduction date.

[Constabulary]

sry - now that I see the M-1942 tents I think these are not GP tents...