Belgian copy of Brit '37 Pattern webbing

Anybody please got a pic of the Belgian issue E tool that would have been carried in the pouch?

Thanks

Cool, I have one of those canteen pouches floating around here somewhere. Had it for ages but never knew what it was. It is very similar to a Canadian P51 canteen pouch.

I have one of the Belgian M1943-type shovels in my collection - I will photograph it and post some images.

I have the later style olive drab vinyl e-tool carrier that goes with the Mod 71 ABL gear, but I am still looking for the earlier kkaki canvas type like the one that Gulf91 has posted. I do have one in blue canvas with air force markings though.

Pictures to follow.

Okay, here it is, with an air force carrier. This e-tool came from a large Belgian dealer. It has no visible markings, but they might be hiding under the paint. There were lots of ABL-marked tri-folds in the same bin, so I am assuming that the M1943-types also came from the Belgian army. This e-tool fits well in the vinyl M71 carrier, but is rather tight in the canvas carrier shown here.

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Sorry - trouble with the images. They showed up on the preview, but not the post.

Nice one,have a shovel identical to that one so will go well with my cover.

Does your shovel fit into the canvas carrier properly?

Wolverine wrote:Does your shovel fit into the canvas carrier properly?

     ,good question,havent actually tried it yet!!

Here are some OD P37 Belgian Items I just picked up. I think the Belgian government recently dumped a bunch of OD pouches on the surplus market because they are popping up. Looking for the OF belt and suspender

Hard to tell from images - are they OD or khaki?

I found my belts in various Belgian surplus shops - likewise the suspenders, although most of the suspenders that turned up in the Belgian sources were original British or Indian manufacture. Relatively few were ABL-marked.

Wolverine wrote:Hard to tell from images - are they OD or khaki?

I found my belts in various Belgian surplus shops - likewise the suspenders, although most of the suspenders that turned up in the Belgian sources were original British or Indian manufacture. Relatively few were ABL-marked.

They are OD. Are there any differences between british items other than the markings in the belts etc?

Functionally, not really. In terms of quality, the British kit was probably a little more durable. Also, you will find original British small packs that have been modified to carry the etool carrier that you have illustrated above. Sometimes the Belgian/British kit is blancoed as well. The one British WE 37 item that is not really interchangeable is the waterbottle carrier, since the Belgians made their own version of the M1910 canteen.

Here is some of the Belgian 1937 pattern style kit. Most of the pieces here are Belgian-made, except for some of the braces/pack straps, and the small pack, which is a modified British example.

Rear view, showing the modified pack:

Wolverine wrote:

Ahhh,so thats what the strap is for

Wolverine wrote:Functionally, not really. In terms of quality, the British kit was probably a little more durable. Also, you will find original British small packs that have been modified to carry the etool carrier that you have illustrated above. Sometimes the Belgian/British kit is blancoed as well. The one British WE 37 item that is not really interchangeable is the waterbottle carrier, since the Belgians made their own version of the M1910 canteen.

Did the Belgians ever make small packs with the etool strap?

No markings etc on mine and havent got a Brit small pack close by to compare but would be confident in saying that the pack I have is smaller than the Brit ones so maybe a Belgian made one?

abefroman wrote:

Wolverine wrote:Functionally, not really. In terms of quality, the British kit was probably a little more durable. Also, you will find original British small packs that have been modified to carry the etool carrier that you have illustrated above. Sometimes the Belgian/British kit is blancoed as well. The one British WE 37 item that is not really interchangeable is the waterbottle carrier, since the Belgians made their own version of the M1910 canteen.

Did the Belgians ever make small packs with the etool strap?

Oh yes, definitely. I have ABL (in khaki) and FN/ZM (in dark blue) marked examples that are Belgian-made with the etool straps. But not all of the Belgian made packs have the straps. For example, non of my air force marked examples (in light blue) have the straps, and I also have army packs without the straps. I am not sure the reason for the omission, but I do have an etool carrier with air force markings (see above in this thread) that is meant to be worn on the pack, so probably air force packs with the straps do exist - I just haven't found one yet.

Gulf91 wrote:No markings etc on mine and havent got a Brit small pack close by to compare but would be confident in saying that the pack I have is smaller than the Brit ones so maybe a Belgian made one?

They should be essentially the same size - I have several of both types and can compare later. The same goes for the large packs.

And here is another version of the etool carrier that I am still hunting for. It has basically a different profile, but otherwise works the same as the others in this thread. I took this picture at the museum at Camp Elsenborn. The packs were behind glass, so I apologize for the reflection of my shoes and trousers in the picture!

Passed on that type of E Tool cover over the years as had no idea what country it was.

Gulf91 wrote:Passed on that type of E Tool cover over the years as had no idea what country it was.

I made the same mistake - before I was collecting post-1945 / NATO gear. I saw those carriers more than once, but just wasn't paying attention...

It is possible that this was a first generation ABL shovel carrier, as I have seen the other types with the rounded profile showing manufacture dates as late as 1968. It is just a guess though.