I have been trying to put togeather this pack with the suspenders, the upper pack and the lower cargo bag, what a nightmare Finally the upper pack went into place, but when you attach a shovel, there is no opening the upper enclosure.
When you put on the 1/2 tent rolled over the top and down the sides, the bayonet is inaccessible.
Then the lower bag is wider than the upper hardly making any sence at all, and then where in the world the back suspender hook up is still unknown to me.
It must have taken a Gov't engineer a long time to figure that one out. I read later on that the GI's thought they were difficult at best.
Tom
www.snakeriver4x4.com
M-37's - WC-51 - M-29C - WC-25 cc - CCKW
M-274 - M-101 - G-527 Water Buffalo
G-7117 Chevy
Hmmmm! Is it an ALICE pack? For some reason, I liked the old WWII/Korean War/early Viet Nam canvas rucksacks better. They were heavier and didn't hold as much stuff, but they were much more accessible.
Ooops! I didn't read your title completely. Looks like you're trying to assemble my favorite pack. I don't know anything about any lower pack or back suspender, though. They must have been infantry stuff. They weren't issued to us AF weenies.
Somehow whenever "Government Engineer" is mentioned I immediately think of the story of 100 blind men describing an elephant. I'm not real sure of this but I think by 45 the bayonet went on the cartridge belt anyway. Grabbing the bayo from the side of the pack is difficult to say the least and replacing it close to impossible. But what you describe sounds a lot like what I have in an old manual from 1923. The shelter half is rolled up underneath the pack. We might not be talking the about the same thing though, but if you give me a couple of days when I get back to the office I'll scan it (or try to) and send it out your way.
Remember-your equipment is provided by the lowest bidder.
Funny you should mention elephants! I learned in the Air Force that an elephant is "a mouse built to government specifications by an independent contractor after many design changes and cost over-runs."
put the shelter in the small rubber lined bab that mounts on the bottom of the pack, took me a while to figure mine out also, just for display with the jeep
The load you are describing, with the lower cargo pack attached to the upper combat pack is the full field pack set. It wasn't meant to get into easy I don't think because the full set wasn't carried into combat but rather was intended to be an approach march load. It sounds like you have it assembled correctly and yours may still have the instructions sewn to the combat pack throat. The front outer straps (as you wear it) of the suspenders attach to the lower cargo pack at the D-rings on the bottom. With the full set, the shelter half was horseshoe rolled over the top of the combat pack (sometimes with the sleeping bag or a blanket inside). With the bayonet and the horseshoe roll, the handle was pulled forward so it about jabbed you in the left shoulder. That way you could still get to it though most just wore it on their equipment belts. They must have figured that if you had time to take the pack off and go into it for chow or dry socks, you had time to loosen the strap on the e-tool handle. The pack got twice as hard to open once the canvas got wet and the straps swelled in the buckles. I'm sure several here will agree that it was an uncomfortable pack with any load compared to today's field gear standards. They actually have padding in the shoulder straps now!
Mike
Marion, IN
1954 M37 W/OW
1953 M101 Indiana MVPA
Although I wasn't in WWII, I was issued the pattern 1941 haversack (top) and knapsack (bottom) when I went into the Corps in 1969. I may be wrong, I usually am, but it sounds like you are describing what we called the field transport pack. That nightmare was primarily only used for non combat admin type moves. In the field, we usually used the haversack only. We normally put the shelter half (with blanket, tent pins, poles, etc inside) in a horseshoe shape around the top and sides of the pack. For easy and fast access, we normally had our poncho either folded over our belt between the suspenders in the back, or folded and slid under the securing straps on the front of the pack. And by the way, if you are using those infernal USMC type suspenders, we used a hand grenade ring in the back to help keep them together. Ahh, those beautiful memories????
As a matter of fact, the Army's M1944 and M1945 pack assemblies mentioned were partially based off the USMC's M1941 pack assembly you mentioned. Very similar in configurations and uses but the Army packs were larger.
Mike
Marion, IN
1954 M37 W/OW
1953 M101 Indiana MVPA
I did have a nice upper pack, but dabbleing in geneology, the pack had the name of Alan Croghan written in it. I went to the Croghan family forum and found the family back east. He was a young man serving in the Korean War.
I have since purchased another pack off of Ebay for about $60.00 and am selling the origional pack back to the family. Tom
www.snakeriver4x4.com
M-37's - WC-51 - M-29C - WC-25 cc - CCKW
M-274 - M-101 - G-527 Water Buffalo
G-7117 Chevy
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Finally the upper pack went into place, but when you attach a shovel, there is no opening the upper enclosure.
