A pile of USGI crap and a really beat up Garand *Pic heavy*

[student of history]

Hello Gentlemen,

I suppose all this junk should go into "July's Purchases" but I figured that it kinda deserves its own thread.

This past month I was fortunate enough to procure quite a sizable heap of USGI items. Mainly this ETO Lt. grouping which is all 1942-44 dated.

The main items include:

Fixed bale M1 helmet (Lt. marked), officer’s field shirt, sleeveless sweater, wool field pants, M41 jacket, double buckle combat boots, wool socks (2), wool gloves, Lt. insignia for collars, M1 garand cartridge belt (I believe it’s model M17), M36 suspender straps, musette bag, mess kit (with cutlery), canteen (2), overseas cap (Lt. marked), M43 shovel and case, M38 map case (with clipboard, and map of Erfurt Germany), lensatic compass (gurley), M1942 bayonet (unissued - 16”), diahram gas mask M3A1 (with bag) basic field manual, first aid manual, US issue bible, field dressings (2), canvass muzzle cover (for M1 rifle or carbine), 3 bandoleers (perhaps British made), 4 enbloc clips, gun oil, ammens foot powder, an early pair of dog tags,a sewing kit, and finally a 1944 dated duffle bag and an officer’s field overcoat (which are not pictured).

Lastly, the September manufactured SA Garand which I had imported from the United States also arrived a couple of days ago (after over three months of waiting!). Unlike most of the Danish returned rifles which pop up periodically this one has all of its WWII parts. The most notable pieces are a correct 1943 dated barrel, a beautiful GAW cartouched stock, Type II lock bar sights, an un-cut op rod and the single slot gas cylinder.

One of the only pieces that I'm missing is a 1911A1 pistol -- could anyone please point me in the right direction?!

I hope you guys enjoy my humble little USGI collection!

 

[joe n]

Nice grouping! Thanks for showing!

 

[L42A1]

What the story with those dog tags? Very cool!

 

[jbmauser]

Awesome dispay and a really nice Garand! Thanks for sharing!

 

[live4therut]

Wow SOH that's one nice kit you collected, good luck on the 1911a1 hunt

 

[student of history]

Thanks guys!

Unfortunately I don't know much about the dog tags. I got them from an American friend of mine. I believe he picked them up in Nevada but I'm not 100% sure -- I'll look into it.

 

[Iron sights]

Great collection, and that is a beautiful M1 you have there

 

[horseshoe]

That guy is creepy....same pose for every picture.

 

[9Guns]

excellent display. The gas mask and carrier is pretty neat I remember hearing stories about the troops discarding them in the field once they got into combat. Can't say I blame em' gas wasn't being used at that point and having carried enough kit myself I have seen how heavy and cumbersome it can get.

 

[purple]

When I joined the Army (1964) we used the fixed bale M1 helmet. You should hunt up a cam net for it though. There was both a wide mesh and narrow mesh type. Shiney helmets were never good, so they were covered by burlap/hessian to tone down shine and break up the distinctive sillhouette. The US Army double buckle, rough side out boots and M41 jackets were very abundant as surplus in the late '50s. We used to wear them on the farm and they were great for this. I remember wearing the blanket lined jacket on those cold Sept nights when you worked all night as necessary to get the crop into the bin. As I recall both could be ordered by mail from Princess Auto in Winnipeg (they were selling Garands at one point as well).

The respirator/gas mask was one of the first pieces of kit to be jettisoned by the troops in WW2 because the threat didn't seem credible enough. Back in the bad old Cold War days, when the Soviet chemical/nuc threat was very real, everybody understood the need to keep the respirator at hand. The individual soldier's load has always been a concern and it never improves for "snuffy", witness the amount of sh*t that was being humped by the troops in Afghanistan.

 

[Steve1987]

Well, there is no doubt you're off to excellent start with your USGI collection!

The Garand looks awesome, a very nice cartouched stock!! I like it, a lot.

Congrats, I'm glad it all made it up here safely.

-Steve

 

[shawn]

Dude you really need to get some sun!!

Great collection.

Shawn

 

[maple_leaf_eh]

That guy is creepy....same pose for every picture.

... and he's not very socialable either. Those BBQs aren't smoking.

 

[the Dakota kid]

Out of curiosity how did you go about importing the M1...was it cost effective?

 

[Armourall]

Hope you didn't freak out any neighbours!!

 

[peter2772000]

Nice collection, but you really need to water the grass a bit more often. Grass has feelings too, you know....

 

[fugawi]

Very nice collection. Like the cartouches on your Garand and its features. What's the barrel condition, and if you don't mind me asking, what id it cost to buy and ship, taxes etc?

 

[Cdn303]

Now what you need to do is research, as best you can, the unit that the soldiers who's tag you have served with and get the appropriate unit patchs. (we will all turn a blind eye if he wasn't an LT.)

 

[kjohn]

Great display and very nice collection! But, that poor Garand is so beat up! Perhaps you'd better send it to me and I'll park it alongside my 1942 SA, and they could talk about the "good old days".

Thanks for sharing with us. Good stuff!!!!!!

 

[student of history]

Based on the research I've done those dog tags most likely belonged to an enlisted man. They're the earlier variation which gave the next of kin so quite a lot was stamped on them but I believe that if the man was an officer there would be an "O" stamped on the tag. I've got a few other tags which are from officers but I just like the look of the crucifix which is attached to that chain so that's why I tossed that particular pair on the manikin.

Once I have some free time I plan to look up the soldier's info via the national archives in the US. As my username suggests; I'm a student so I should have access to the databases through my uni. I'll let you know what I can find out!