Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original U.S. WWII U.S. Marine Corps Thompson .45 Submachine Gun magazine pouch, manufactured by Russell Manufacturing Co. and dated 1944. Designed to carry 30-round Thompson magazines, this pouch represents the type of web equipment used by Marines armed with the Thompson during the later years of WWII.

The canvas pouch is in very good condition with good functional snaps, but the leftmost snap is missing the top piece of the knob. It will still attach for display but it will not keep for long. The back of the pouch is stamped:

U.S.M.C.
R.M. Co.
NOm - 45412
1944

Russell Manufacturing Corporation of Alexander City, Alabama, was founded in 1902, as a textile and clothing manufacturing business. It was a relatively small company, until the WWI need for cloth and yarn helped the company grow rapidly, and while affected, it survived the great depression and started growing again. It established an athletics division named the Southern Manufacturing Company to manufacture team apparel. When WWII came around, Russell Mfg. Co made all types of web gear, including many pouches as well as the pistol belts they attached to. After the war, Russell went back to manufacturing sports apparel, which is how it is mostly known today: Russell Athletic.

The combination of the 1944 date, clear U.S.M.C. markings, Russell Manufacturing contract identification, original canvas construction, and surviving functional snaps makes this a strong representative example of WWII Marine Corps Thompson equipment. The damaged left snap knob and minor staining are the principal condition issues, while the pouch otherwise remains well preserved and readily identifiable.