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How can you determine if a M1 Bandolier is WWII?


MinorInHistory
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Pictures as reference. Pictures are taken in The National Museum of Military History in Diekirch, Luxemburg.

Brown paper lot cards and unmarked bandoleers. I own three WWII bandoleers and none are marked.

 

20200905_105943.jpg.cf39e2f4a70eaad679ba0c71a253580b.jpg

 

20200905_105946.jpg.45e44c14e2744c35620b3bc7a609495b.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

I recently heard that there are 2 different types of cardboard for the Garand enblocs. And early High one (like the one shown for the 5 round strppers on page one) and a later or post war short one. Had never heard this before and had only seen the short ones. anyone ever hear of this?

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Your information is partially accurate. There were actually three variations of the enbloc cardboard sleeve. The bandoleer sleeve was the same height for the enblocs as it was for the stripper clips. Pre-war and early war the sleeves looked identical to the 5-round sleeves, but side-by-side comparison shows the enbloc sleeve to be slightly narrower.  Then mid-war a notch was put in the enbloc sleeve to make it easier to grab the clip. By 1945, when the lot card was discontinued in favor of printing on the bandoleer, the embloc sleeve was reduced in height.That shorter sleeve was used through the end of .30-06 production.

 

The first photo shows a Remington bandoleer from 1943, with the notched sleeves just visible in the pockets. The second photo shows a Frankford bandoleer from 1944 with the tall enbloc sleeves with cutout. The third photo shows a 1945 bando from St. Louis with the shorter sleeve and the last of the lot cards used. The fourth photo shows the early sleeve from a 1942 Denver bando. The last three photos show the differences between the enbloc and stripper sleeves. 

 

Hope this helps. If you need any of these sleeves, I make replicas of both tall sleeves (shown in the last photo).

Charlie

 

 

c4334328befee4cfed455ad009df28da_image_733x550 (2).jpg

FA AP 1944 Bando.jpg

100_2388.JPG

Spangler Bando (2).jpg

bando box 2.jpg

Bando 3.jpg

bando box 1.jpg

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armysoldierant1944
1 hour ago, silverplate said:

Your information is partially accurate. There were actually three variations of the enbloc cardboard sleeve. The bandoleer sleeve was the same height for the enblocs as it was for the stripper clips. Pre-war and early war the sleeves looked identical to the 5-round sleeves, but side-by-side comparison shows the enbloc sleeve to be slightly narrower.  Then mid-war a notch was put in the enbloc sleeve to make it easier to grab the clip. By 1945, when the lot card was discontinued in favor of printing on the bandoleer, the embloc sleeve was reduced in height.That shorter sleeve was used through the end of .30-06 production.

 

The first photo shows a Remington bandoleer from 1943, with the notched sleeves just visible in the pockets. The second photo shows a Frankford bandoleer from 1944 with the tall enbloc sleeves with cutout. The third photo shows a 1945 bando from St. Louis with the shorter sleeve and the last of the lot cards used. The fourth photo shows the early sleeve from a 1942 Denver bando. The last three photos show the differences between the enbloc and stripper sleeves. 

 

Hope this helps. If you need any of these sleeves, I make replicas of both tall sleeves (shown in the last photo).

Charlie

 

 

c4334328befee4cfed455ad009df28da_image_733x550 (2).jpg

FA AP 1944 Bando.jpg

100_2388.JPG

Spangler Bando (2).jpg

bando box 2.jpg

Bando 3.jpg

bando box 1.jpg

Charlie - again, a great wealth of information from you. A great help to guys like us! Oh, I have a marked bandoleer with a black clothespin and RA33760 stamped. Would this be late WW2? Richard

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Richard, your bandoleer is post-WW2. The Remington lot numbers for 1945 run from 33560 to 33719. Remington continued to produce .30 caliber ball at least until 1959, which is where my tech bulletin ends. That last lot number is 43333. Nice example, Remington bandos aren't seen too often.

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So this would be Korea? I have another with 1952 date on it that is the darker greener green(OD #7), but this one has a color more resembling the WW2 khaki-like color (OD#3).

M1Carbine.jpg

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That's actually a bandoleer loaded with carbine rounds. Carbine ammo wasn't packed in bandoleers during WWII, that practice started with Korea. As far as the color goes, it could've been a wartime production that was left over then put in service for Korea when bandoleers were needed again. Also, the carbine lot numbers from Lake City ended at #12965 in 1945. That's a nice example!

Charlie

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Here's the later one just for the record, and a close-up of the date. I see the 10RD CLIPS wording on both, did not pay much attention before since I did not know about the no clips in WW2 before. Good info on LC dates too, thanks. 

M1Carbine2.jpg

M1Carbine2Date.jpg

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Interesting what goes around, comes around. Manufacturer name and date on the bandoleer was found during WWI, then dropped for WWII, probably due to the sheer numbers produced. That's another nice example.

Date Stamp.jpg

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armysoldierant1944
On 2/21/2021 at 9:20 PM, silverplate said:

Richard, your bandoleer is post-WW2. The Remington lot numbers for 1945 run from 33560 to 33719. Remington continued to produce .30 caliber ball at least until 1959, which is where my tech bulletin ends. That last lot number is 43333. Nice example, Remington bandos aren't seen too often.

You have been most helpful again, Charlie. Thanks! Richard

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