According to this post: It was made around March of 1943

It's a nice KW pack now all you need is find the lower and straps. I cobbled together a 1945 dated M45 rig. The war ended before they were issued. I also cobbled together a 1944 dated M44 pack that had not been modified. Happy hunting!

Oh how I miss the Gordons. It was nice getting to meet you and get what I think I remember was the second copy of your book on US soil. I grew up across town from them and dealt with them many times before they moved to Bainbridge. I'll never forget seeing their new property clearly in a flood plain. "I checked and there hasn't been a flood here in decades," Tom said. Least than a year later, that spot was under almost ten feet of water. I loved doing the drawings for their catalogs in exchange for trade credit. It was fun to draw essentially what I wanted so long as it didn't suggest violence (Sharon shot down a few of my 'action' drawings). One of these days I will compile a book of those drawings and the WW2 reenactor cartoons I did around the same time. But it was amazing, walking down the aisles and picking whatever I was looking for. I tell new people in the collecting hobby about those days.  I do miss that, so much...

I appreciate the information.   Thanks! 

THANK YOU for your comments!

Just don't  argue with them. They always  win anyways. I think they know  what your thinking. It's  a loosing  proposition. 

So I'm in the process of building a shadow box for my Grandfathers WW2 service. He was in the 716th Railway Operating Battlion and served throughout France. So after a long search, I finally was able to get the DUI for his Battlion.

Michigan Marines from WWII, 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th Divisions.    1st Div is a Guadalcanal vet, 2nd is a Tarawa vet, 4th is Saipan, and 5th is an Iwo Vet.  I will continue to add more as we update the display and info.   Scott

Kurt,   It does indeed sat "BARTH". I'll gently lift the pin and take more detailed pics tomorrow. 

Great buy!   Uncle Sam charges around $200-250 if it's missing when you turn in your TA-50 gear. I used to advise my soldiers to find the missing pieces on eBay at a cheaper price and turn them in when ETSing.   These are soon to be another page in the history books.   We began transitioning to the new IHPS in 2024 before I ETS'd.