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PERSONAL AID KITS


dustin
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I thought I would do a short history spread on PERSONAL AIDS KITS.

 

In 1941 the AAC began work on what they called the "E" series emergency kits.By wars end the "E" series reached 20 with most being specialized for regions and equipment such as jungle ,arctic,desert,ocean and others with emphasis on rations and implements. Of these, four were calssified as personal aids kits,with variations and amendments, and all others orientated to multi-person.these four being the types:

E-3

E-6

E-7

E-17

the first pesonal aids kit developed for the AAC was the type E-3,developed in 1942 designed to fit in a pocket for use by pilots and aircrew.This kit was intended to be an escape and evasion aid in the event of bailout or ditching.This kit was originally intended for use in the ETO distributed by military intelligence.This kit contained no money or barter items but basic essential items as rations and medical items.Most likely this kit was influenced by a RAF/MI9 pocket kit.

this kit has two halves bound together by tape measureing 5 1/4" x 4 1/4" x 1 1/2"

this kit was manufactured by three companies with a quantity of approxmately 60,000 produced.Eventually this kit was used in the PTO to be upgarded by the E-3J "J" meaning jungle developedby the military intelligence Service.The E-3J was upgraded to fit the growing needs in the pacific with mnaily an addtion of more medical items.Evidence suggests that the USN did use the E-3 with actual documentation pertaining to the use of the E-3J.I have never seen an actual E-3J kit but have MIS and Buaer documnets pertainign to this kit with photos but am keeping them secret for now :D

this is an incomplete example of the E-3 kit

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in early 1944 the emergency equipment section of equipment laboratory began to reevaluate emergency kits as there were so many types available.the E-3 kit began another transition to what later would be known as the E-3A, amendment A.

A design of a more suitable conatiner was developed in the shape of a flask.Essentially the same components were transfered from the the two half container to a flask type conatiner.This container was an inprovement over the earlier type as it can be used used for water storage instead of the more primitive use of a waterproof bag contained in the E-3.Though the official E-3A was standardized till mid 1945 this early taped lid version was available by late 1944

this is an example of the improved E-3 in flask

front:

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backpost-56-1186602710.jpg

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the draw back to the the taped lid version was the lid was taped on and in high himidty and when saterated with water the tape would not adhere making the use of the flask almost unsuitable.by mid 1944 anew improved flask was introduced that utilized a bail to secure lid.this flask we see on the official amendended E-3A.The date of the official amnedment A is unknown to me at this time but only two change were made in the contents in the amendment first was the deletion of the malted milk and dextrose tablets and addition of caramels.Malted milk has had a history of being unsuitable for emergency rations with complaints as far back as the begining of the war,the main complaint being that they were too thirst provoking.the other change was of the chocolate in design of the ingredients.

 

this is an example of the E-3A

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back

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this is an interesting variation in that it is a taped lid version with upgraded components NOTE: caramels in place of malted milk & dextrose as listed on flask

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backpost-56-1186603425.jpg

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here are examples of the taped lid vs. the bail.they both have small screw tops to function as flask

taped lid:

post-56-1186603600.jpg

 

bail typepost-56-1186603621.jpg

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the last flask type kits developed by the AAC is the E-17, designed for use in the PTO introduced in mid 1944.due to the growing demand from the PTO of better medical items and better impletments for survival the E-17 was developed to satisfy these requests.This kit was bith used by the AAF and buaer being AN approved.This kit was number two in the evolution of jungle oreintated kits starting with the E-3 then E-3J then the E-17.this kit contained two seperate flask one for general items and the other medical items the third component was the ESM/1 signal mirror all coantained in one canvas case that could be wor on belt.

variations of the componets exist with the E-17 most likely due to the contractors.there were four known manufacturers of the e-17 and made in relitively large quantities.these flask type kits were ment to supplement other kits such as the parchite type emergency kits.

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the Buaer utilized both the E-3J and E-17 forsure but as to the E-3 and E-3A it is unclear at this time to me.Reports from the combat zone pacific stated that a suitable pocket type kit be procured for naval aviation personel for use in jungle regions as the E-3J and E-17 were found satifactory.what would come would be two types of flask kits for the buaer first being a interim kit developed till a suitable design can be adopted.This first generation kit was named "AVAITORS ASIATIC KIT"

 

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the kit to be finally adopted was the buaer MARK-1 flask kit similar to the AAC's E-3A but with US navy emergency rations and the addition of sulfaguandine tablets.this kit was first introduced in january 1945 distibuted with a technical note stating that this item to be issued to personel operating over jungle terrain and to supplement the The back pad kit or Pk-1 pararaft when they become available.

 

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the last two personal aids kits are the E-6 and E-7 developed to add extra rations and water.The two kits are the exact same other than the contract and nomenclture printed on front.The kits are designed to clip onto parachute or strap to ones leg.The E-6 carries two K-rations and the E-7 carriers two cans of drinking water AN-W-5.Developed in 1942 they were found not to be very suitable and only limited quantities were produced.the kits measure 9 1/2" x 7" x 1 1/2" approx.

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I would like to add a little bit more about the E-17 kit's case. There are three variations of the case they are on the back.All have the belt hook for securing to the pistol belt, in this there are two variations the typical M-1910 and the USMC type belt hooks.most commonly we see these pouches with 2 belt loops sewn on back and that brings us to the third variant some have no belt loops typically the ones without have no signs of them ever being there.to date I have been only able to identify one manufacturer of the E-17 cases and that is Lite Mfg.,it would seem with the variants available that there was a second or even third manufacturer to help explain the variations or they could be attributed to time of manufacturer example: first run kits had no belt loops but added on later contracts etc. .The explaination for the belt hooks could be whom contracted it but it could also be that the supplier of the belt hooks sent the USMC type to Lite mfg. which this seems to make more sense as I have only been able to identify AAC contracts for the E-17 and most likely the USN requisitioned them from the AAC.

 

here are a couple photos I got off the web showing back of case

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USMC

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one thing I would like to clear up is that I was using the term "manufacturer",technically they are packaging contractors

Example: Sears and roebuck was one contractor for the E-17 but they did not make on single piece of the kit ,they bought all the pieces and assembled the kit.

They bought the cellulose actetate from a manufacturer then they shiped the raw product to a molder for the flasks then they inturn were shiped back to sears for assembly as with all the components from different suppliers so one single kit may have a total of 10- 15 manufacturers involved.

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