WWII Lot off Ebay

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I recently got a nice lot of WWII gear off Ebay, and I thought I'd share the bundle as well as try to enlist some help identifying some of the items.

Purchase Price: $25.00 excluding S&H

Top Left: The highlight of the lot. I've identified this item as a United States Army General Purpose Ammunition Bag. It's dated 1944 and was manufactured by Harian. The bag itself is a bit worn on the inside, with the sewing starting to fall apart, but overall seems to be in good condition. It does not have the shoulder strap needed to wear it properly, but I'm working on a solution to that.

Top Right: A strange, but authentic pouch. It is WWII, as the manufacturing date is listed as 1944, but I have no idea what it is or what it was used for. Although you can't see it in the picture, there is also a bold-faced "US" printed on the front. There's a lot of mud and wear on the pouch, so I wouldn't be surprised if this little guy has seen combat. If anyone out there with more expertise WWII knowledge could help me identify this piece, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Bottom: This is not a WWII piece, but the seller threw it in anyway to complete the lot. This ammunition belt was manufactured by Kolpin, a sports store located in the Midwest that specializes in ATV gear. The most interesting part of the belt is the buckle, which does not appear to be of a modern design; perhaps this belt has some age as well? In addition, the previous owner (belt is labeled with the name "Nancy") decided to attach a modern M-16 Rifle Ammunition Pouch to the belt, which actually works great for carrying a cellphone or small object around the neighborhood. The ammo loops themselves are clearly far too big for a .45 or .30-06, so I'm guessing they're built for shotgun pellets. If anyone can see anything else I missed or overlooked, please let me know.

Overall, like I said, I'm pretty pleased with my purchase. I definitely bought the lot specifically for the Ammunition Bag, but I'm extremely curious about what the other pouch is and its uses. Had to beat out four other buyers, and although I went five dollars over my initial limit, I think military collectibles are priceless treasures that are often overlooked by people who do not understand their importance or value. Currently looking to add on to my meager collection with maybe a web belt or a M1 bayonet. Again, I'm not an expert on American wargear, so if anyone could add additional information on this lot, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks for reading,

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P.S. I just found an unopened modern-day MRE Heater inside the Ammunition Bag. Gets you wondering where this bag has been.

[Crackers]

Top right looks like a shovel cover.

Source: http://www.doughboymilitary.com/details.php?cid=3

You can find a lot of collectibles on here too, as well as the strap you need for $32.00

Edited August 3, 2012 by Crackers

[Cast 1st MRB]

Talk to mellott he a wwII collector junkie

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http://www.armynavysales.com/products/wwii-shovel-cover/

You are absolutely right, Crackers. I was wondering if the small hole in the bottom of the pouch was purposeful or due to abuse. Thanks for the help!

I'm actually not planning on investing money in a reproduction strap, as it's far too expensive. Although I plan to use the bag in an upcoming reenactment, I think I'll find a way to attach the bag to my cartridge belt as a cheaper alternative.

For practical purposes, I simply took a black clip-on strap off one of my old duffle bags and attached it to the ammunition bag. True, it's not accurate, but it works and allows me to wear the bag around my shoulder.

I'll keep looking around for more info on the items,

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