Original Item: Only One Available. Early in World War II, aluminum was urgently needed for aircraft. Therefore, in 1942 stainless steel canteens were substituted for aluminum and alternative materials were investigated, such as plastic for canteens.

This is an excellent rare example of an experimental Ethylcellulose Canteen, complete with an original WWII U.S.M.C. 2nd Pattern cover named twice on the bottom! The canteen itself is marked U.S. 1943 on the bottom with no visible maker’s mark. The canteen cover is unmarked but the cup is marked U.S. M.A. CO 1941.

The USMC Cover is stencil-named twice on the bottom, to F.D. RAMEY and E. SOLENSKI. This makes it a reissued example which saw a great deal of service. We have not conducted research on either of the two names, making this a perfect candidate for a research project.

This canteen comes complete with the chain attached to the cap, and amazingly no stress cracks. The cork washer inside the cap is also present. Overall condition of the canteen is very good, and from the looks of it, there are remnants of the baking powder that soldiers would put inside the canteen to combat the taste the plastic imparted.

A very rare WWII USMC canteen set with an experimental canteen, ready for further research and display!

In an effort to manufacture a non-metallic a canteen during World War Two, the US government attempted to manufacture a plastic canteen using Dow Chemical's Ethyl Cellulose Plastic. The canteen was manufactured by several government suppliers, of which ANOS was one. Canteens started to be manufactured the middle of 1942 and were discontinued by 1944.

The canteens were typically issued to Pacific Theater Forces. This was a common canteen to find on the USMC web belt or discarded along the route of the Marine advance. The problem with the canteens was that they tended to eventually develop heat stress cracks. They also made the water they contained taste like bitter plastic. In order to combat the horrible taste of the water, soldiers routinely mixed baking powder in with the water when filling the canteen. Later plastics would not have this problem, but this design was unfortunately ahead of its time. The canteen is made of a two part mold, with each part being attached at the cup ring.