M1971 ABL field gear

flashesandovals wrote:3 Para was paying a lot of attention to grenade handling - we had lost a soldier during a previous deployment when his own grenade exploded somehow. Back then there were no grenade pouches available. One would attach it to the metal D-rings of the suspenders and the tape them or us rubber bands to secure them.
When we landed during the 130 TALO at Kigali airport, apparently an Air Force loadmaster found a grenade pin on the plane's ramp. Needless to say that we had been very close to a disaster...eventually it was said that it belonged to a 22 Company (IIRC) Platoon Leader.

I didn't find the time to do the pictures today - will try tomorrow.

Pascal

Wolverine wrote:This is great information Pascal - I look forward to seeing some more pictures!

I have also seen some photographs of Para Commandos with the ALICE magazine pouches, M1956 buttpacks, and the Gortex rain gear, but I had no idea that the grenade pockets were removed. This is all fascinating.

Wolverine wrote:I wonder if any of those modified pouches are still floating around in surplus bins?

Wolverine wrote:No, the modified ALICE pouches would not likely make it to N. America through surplus channels, but I remember seeing bins of used ALICE pouches mixed in with other Belgian surplus last summer in the Netherlands. I didn't know that they had any Belgian relevance at the time, otherwise I would have inspected them more carefully. As for the Belgian-made magazine pouches, the SMG ones are relatively common now on both sides of the ocean, but the various types of rifle pouches are not so easy. I lucked into some 5.56 mm pouches not long ago in Canada, and finally found some of the early FAL pouches last summer in Belgium. These seem to be the scarcest pieces of the M71 webbing. Most of the other main components can be found at ant Belgian surplus stores that I have visited, and these days rucksacks, belts, suspenders, and small rear ammunition packs are widely seen on N. American ebay.

Wolverine wrote:Here are a few pictures - I will take some better ones and add them later - I am putting together a half-mannequin display with this kit.

In addition to the kit shown here, I also have the magazine pouches for the Vigneron SMG, rucksacks, various types of e-tools and carriers, the 9 mm Browning holster, and 9 mm Browning magazine pockets.

I am looking for the various magazine pouches for the Belgian rifles to go with this set.

The photos of the Para Commandos are from the army museum in Brussels, last summer. The figure wearing the UN beret has the rifle pouches - I am guessing that there were different pouches for the FAL mags and the 5.56 mm mags, but I don't know for certain.

Here are some general observations I have made:

-some pouches are closed with twists and some have dome snaps
-none of the pieces ever seem to be marked
-the vinyl does poorly in cold temperatures
-photographs of Belgian soldiers often show US ALICE gear mixed in with the M71 gear
-the ALICE-type clips tend to slide back and forth rather too easily on the belt
-there are e-tools and carriers of the US 1943 type and the tri-fold type (will post photos)
-some pieces can be found that were very heavily repaired, and must have seen a lot of use

Wolverine wrote:Sure, it is the carrying case for the shelter half, and it doubles as a hood for the shelter half when the shelter half is used as a poncho. I don't know how often they were carried like this in real life, but this is now the manual for the M1971 field gear illustrates its arrangement.

fallout wrote:http://www.ablhistoryforum.be/viewtopic.php?t=791

Here you go

Wolverine wrote:Yup, that's the one.