Copy of my reply on another discussion board:   VERY informative discussion on “H” plate belts on this forum; thank you all.   Is there a similar discussion on belts with “C” type closures?  I found my one book by Dorsey (“American Military Belts and Equipment”) to lack details that he devotes to the other topics, for which, BTW, I am GREATLY appreciative.   Oh, and to be very picky and branch-parochial, but also to be an unabashedly proud former 11B2P, I only collect US Army Infantry.   Again, thank you all! jk

Some suspect that it is for a sub-inspector, as the initials MP do not match any of the more famous inspector during that time period.  It has the blackish park and not the green park that came later.  I need to do some more research on the black park timeline and maybe that will narrow it down.  

If anyone has a lead on an original company photograph of B Company, 317th INF, 80th ID, I would love to purchase one or obtain a digital copy. It was my grandfather's unit throughout the war. Thank you! 

A while back I saw a book that was on archive.org that a forum member posted that covered U.S army service and dress uniforms from World War One, Interwar, and World War Two. The book also covered combat uniforms and field gear and experimental uniforms. I can’t remember for the life of me the name of it but if anyone has any idea on what the book may be I’ll  appreciate it

Hi, all. Long-time lurker and new member here. I noticed the trend of .45 cartridges being stored in M1 enblocs while recently on a Battle of the Bulge tour in Belgium and Luxembourg. These were excavated from battle sites and presumably not faked, but it is a trend I have not seen in museums all over Europe that display such objects. While it seems like a convenient way to carry a magazines (+) of 1911/A1 ammunition, it was entirely new to me. Has anyone seen or read about this storage method before? Looking forward to any feedback, stories, and/or sources anyone can provide. Thanks in advance! 

I have this lens piece that I think goes on top of the Farrand Y-7 Bombsight. I haven't been able to find much information on the Y-7 other than https://www.glennsmuseum.com/items/y7_bombsight/ Looks like maybe the Y-7 was mostly prototype or not actually used much?

Bodes,    The Windshield came with the M82 and I believe they were always together based on the color, patina, and rust pattern. The Windshield lifts right off the projectile with an easy pull. I'm assuming that it would have been pressed on mechanically onto the armor-piercing cap. This Windshield never received this application. When placed on the cap there is a 1.5mm gap that indicates the attachment never happened to set the two components tightly together.     

VERY informative discussion on “H” plate belts; thank you all.  Is there a similar discussion on belts with “C” type closures?  I found my one book by Dorsey (“American Military Belts and Equipment”) to lack details that he devotes to the other topics, for which, BTW, I am GREATLY appreciative.   Oh, and to be very picky and branch-parochial, but also to be an unabashedly proud former 11B2P, I only collect US Army Infantry.   Again, thank you all! jk  

I'll have to check when I get home, but a 4 inch 50/cal case is close to 36 inch. I think the neck also tapers in more dramatically. 3 inch/50 cal is case is 23 inches. If it's 3 inch 50 cal, I don't think it'd be worth more than $100.

I thought I would keep this GAR sword types topic alive with a rarely seen variation of the Son's of Veterans (SV) swords.  This is an Ames made SV alter short sword.  It was placed on the alter at SV meetings and is named to the post as it was their property.  It is a shortened version of the full size veteran group sword and was part of the ritual items for the organization.