I purchased some M1945 suspenders that are very light khaki tan. Were these issued to US troops or do I have a foreign army's copy? I thought everything after World War II was OD.


Wolverine wrote:It is hard to tell if they are sun-bleached or not. Can you post some closer images?
Wolverine wrote:I think it is a foreign version. I have a similar one in dark olive that is not US-made.
The US originals were used by Norway, Greece, and South Korea, among others probably. It seems that somewhere along the line copies were made.
abefroman wrote:Wolverine wrote:I think it is a foreign version. I have a similar one in dark olive that is not US-made.
The US originals were used by Norway, Greece, and South Korea, among others probably. It seems that somewhere along the line copies were made.
How do you know your OD one is foreign?
Wolverine wrote:abefroman wrote:Wolverine wrote:I think it is a foreign version. I have a similar one in dark olive that is not US-made.
The US originals were used by Norway, Greece, and South Korea, among others probably. It seems that somewhere along the line copies were made.
How do you know your OD one is foreign?
I am 95 percent certain it is foreign due to the texture of the web, the shade of the web, the apparent presence of polyester in the web, lack of markings, and the finish on the hardware. Also, it does not have the characteristic odor of NOS late-war US suspenders. While there are always exceptions to production norms, this one is quite distinct compared to the dozens or even hundreds of original examples I have seen with late-war or possibly Korean War dates over the years. There is also the circumstantial evidence that I found it in a Dutch surplus shop in a box of Dutch marine belts and suspenders, and there was really no US GI content in the shop otherwise. I suspect they might be Norwegian, but have no proof.
There are, for certain, South Korean-made versions, but they are clearly marked as such, and are made of light green nylon. I also have an upper pack, US- made, but with ROK markings added.
Further research remains to show just how widely the M1945 gear was exported through US aid programs.
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