USMC WWII Reversible Poncho and M1 Pouches

[Aragorn243]

I was inspired to find one of these after reading Jeff Shaara's book on Okinawa and the recent book on Marine equipment I picked up.

Not sure if it really is but it seems like a really iconic piece of Marine Pacific War equipment.

I am reluctant to open it all the way up but not because it's brittle or anything, it's in really nice condition and is very soft and flexible. It has been stored very well.

This is the odd part, it came from Greece. Apparently we must have given them a ton of our excess stuff after WWII and a lot of it has sat in warehouses this entire time. There are several sellers on eBay selling these at prices much less than their American counterparts are offering them at.

Anyway, I took a chance, and I'm very pleased. Guy even threw in two M1 Carbine pouches for free, 1945 and 1957, and I got it in a week.

The white stuff is talc and original to the poncho. If I wash it, it will come right off. So it isn't faded, it's a storage thing I guess. There is some staining which all appears to be from the snaps lying on the fabric but the snaps aren't rusted at all so not sure what caused it.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.