Original Items: Only One Lot of 7 Available. The United States Army in World War II had a distinct advantage over the Axis when it came to equipment. Both in terms of quality and quantity the power of American industry kept the GI’s well supplied.

For a Soldier, equipment is a matter of survival. Even something as simple as a button
can make the difference between victory and defeat if it fails to function properly at the wrong time. For this reason Soldiers have a strong tendency to become attached to equipment they like, and to modify or discard equipment they find unreliable or useless. Among the Infantry, who have to carry their equipment wherever they go, this tendency is even stronger.

This lot is a wonderful example on modified equipment. While there may have been nothing wrong with the ammo belts worn, these soldiers found a method and set up that worked better in their favor. A few of the items have parachute rigging added to them to either reinforce the gear or to be able to add other items to it.

The items featured:
- M1923 Cartridge Belt, Suspenders and Rigging “D” Rings: Soldiers must carry everything they need for combat operations with them at all times. Individual load carrying equipment is designed to allow the Soldier to carry a basic load of ammunition, food, water, and first-aid gear. The exact make-up of this load varies from conflict to conflict. In more modern times the load has grown to include additional equipment such as gas masks, maps, compasses, and radios. Because of the cost of replacing equipment for Soldiers is high, equipment is usually replaced in phases, with front-line troops receiving the new equipment first. Support units typically receive equipment later as older equipment wears out or becomes obsolete. Because of this, Soldiers in World War II went to war using several different versions of the basic load bearing gear. The soldier that utilized this setup felt the need to add bits of parachute rigging “D” rings to his belt to allow him to add more items as needed.

- Named BAR Chest Rig: S.T. Ainsworth (marked on back) had a fear of running out of ammunition for his BAR and wanted to ensure he had more than enough magazines to bring to the fight! This is a lovely setup that features two rows of magazine pouches, with one pouch set sewn on top of the other with extra straps added to bear the weight. This would have held an approximate total of 20 magazines. In the United States Marine Corps today, regular 0311 rifle platoons phased out the light machine gun, the M249 SAW, and replaced it with the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle. Standard loadout for this rather new Hk rifle is 21 magazines! I wonder if Ainsworth influenced this loadout.

- Modified General Purpose Pouch: The original attachment methods were removed from the back of this pouch and was replaced with a parachute harned clip and a “D” ring attached with a belt loop. If we had to guess, this would have had to have been used as some sort of medical bag or ammunition pouch. The user wanted to be able to remove the pouch at a short notice, possibly to pass around. Very ingenious setup!

This is a very unique grouping and shows how soldiers would modify their equipment to better suit their needs in combat! Comes ready to display.