WWII US Sleeping Bag

[Aragorn243]

I went out to yard sales this morning and came across what I thought to be an interesting find. An old military sleeping bag. I looked it over and found the tags on the interior dating it to 1944 and appearing to be of US style.

Knowing nothing about these and seeing that it was displayed very nicely by the owner, I figured whatever they wanted for it would be beyond what I was willing to risk. But I asked how much and they told me if I wanted it, it was mine for free. It had a hole in it an no one wanted it.

Can't beat that so I rolled it up and brought it home. I have at least confirmed that it is a US wool sleeping bag with a cover. The wool portion looks like new. The cover is what has some holes in it. I later found the tag on the liner when I learned it was separate, it also is dated 1944 but a few months later. I did not see any other markings until I had it out in the sun to take photos. It has a large but faint US on the bottom of the cover.

I didn't even know the US used sleeping bags in WWII. Not something I've ever seen in the war movies. All I've ever seen were the wool blankets.

Are the dates on the tags the dates they were produced or the date of the design? I guess these were used through Vietnam so there is no guarantee this one was actually used during WWII.

Should I make any effort to repair the holes/tears in the cover? I doubt I'll ever actually use it so it's not going to get any worse. If repaired, how would I go about it? Hand sewing, machine?

Anyway, here are some photos:

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