https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...dwarii16-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...b4fb9595-1.jpg
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I like the mess kit, a spoon is all you really need, you can eat meat with a pocket knife and spoon but eating soup with a fork is a bit of a challenge.
I still have my pocket spoon kicking around somewhere.
I'm gobsmacked by what looks like the custom/personal web gear in the "Real" photo. Five pouch sections, each containing five pouches, each containing two M1911A1 .45 magazines (for 50 magazines), plus one standard (flat) double magazine pouch (2 magazines), plus one (1) magazine in the pistol. 53 seven round magazines = 371 rounds of .45 ammo.
The weight of a standard issue USGI M1911A1 with one, loaded, seven round magazine is 3 lbs. The weight of one seven round magazine loaded with 230 gr. Ball ammo = 7 oz.
That's 52 magazines x 7 oz. = 364 oz. divided by 16 oz. (1 lb.) = 22.75 lbs. Plus the loaded pistol and you're tipping the scale at 26 lbs.
Given the owner was probably 20 years old weighing about 180 (if not less) I don't think he carried it for long after D-Day!
In the original (?) photo, I see one of the four MKII grenades is still yellow (light in photo).
I've seen the original gear image discussed elsewhere on the internet, and it is an interesting image for the rigger made pouches. The five custom made 5-pocket sections were for one 8-round clip each of caliber-.30 ammunition for the rifle M1. The first section on the left demonstrated the clips were carried perpendicular to the belt. The count would be 25 clips x 8 rounds for 200 rounds of caliber-.30 ammunition, which I suspect would not be as heavy as mentioned with caliber-.45 ammunition, but would be significantly heavier than the 80 rounds carried in the standard 10-pocket ammunition belts, not to mention the extra bulk of the clips although about the same as BAR magazine belts.
The usual combat load for caliber-.30 ammunition was 80 rounds in the belt and two bandoleers totaling 176 rounds, so this trooper was 24 rounds ahead, but it should be considered that ammunition re-supply was a problem for air-landed troops.
The machete suggests that this image was taken in the Pacific area of operations, and some of the extra equipment carried suggests the soldier was a pathfinder, which may account for the extra ammunition carried.
The kit in the first (wartime) photo includes a signal panel and what appear to be flares. A Pathfinder in Europe might have carried a machete to clear small brush whilst marking out the DZ.
Great post.
Good eyes RT Ellis! I missed that those were enbloc clips. I don't remember the weight of one, but I guesstimate about 12 - 14 lbs for 25 loaded clips?
What I thought was interesting was the M1905 bayonet in the 'real' (wartime) layout.
The 10" M1 bayonet was introduced in 1943 and many M1905s were then cut down to the same size, consequently the 16" M1905 became much rarer. I don't recall ever seeing a photo of one in the ETO.
Possibly a training photo taken in the US?