M1971 ABL field gear

Great stuff! What did you use to fill the ammo pouches?

Just some 1 or 1 1/2 inch wide strips of 3/4 inch-think pine boards.

The set-up was inspired by some period photographs, but also by this figure that I photographed at the museum at Camp Elsenborn a couple summers ago... Sorry about the reflection in the glass, but my pocket camera couldn't do a better job in poor lighting.

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Very nice. The short FNC ammo pouches seem to be impossible to find. Maybe the government hasn't released them as surplus yet.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Mike and I am from Lincolnshire in the UK. It all started when I bought a 1952 Minerva Land Rover.... I then decided i ought to get some Belgian kit to display with it. The Minerva was with the ABL from 1952 right through to 1995. I therefore collect equipment in service between these dates. I am just building up some 1971 pattern equipment to compliment my 1937 webbing, but TBH I do not know a lot about some of the stuff I have, and over the next few weeks I hope to post some pictures, ask some questions, and maybe get some answers.

Antarmike wrote:Let me introduce myself.  My name is Mike and I am from Lincolnshire in the UK.  It all started when I bought a 1952 Minerva Land Rover.... I then decided i ought to get some Belgian kit to display with it.  The Minerva was with the ABL from 1952 right through to 1995.  I therefore collect equipment in service between these dates.  I am just building up some 1971 pattern equipment to compliment my 1937 webbing, but TBH I do not know a lot about some of the stuff I have, and over the next few weeks I hope to post some pictures, ask some questions, and maybe get some answers.  

Looking forward to seeing the pictures and happy to help answer what we can!

The Minerva is a really interesting vehicle. The M1971 Belgian stuff is some of my favourite field gear, so I look forward to seeing what you have found Mike.

Unfortunately, I tried to post some images last night and got a message saying newbies have to wait 7 days before posting links to other sites, so, I am afraid as I use photobucket, we have a weeks wait.  

Well anyway I have a set with Vigneron pouches ( I have two deactivated Vignerons)  and I have a couple of sets with FAL pouches, (have a FAL but unfortunately not ABL, but it does have ABL grips, stock etc) .

Also have a HiPower and what I believe is a 71 pattern Holster and several twin mag pouches.

Fairly recently I acquired a second FN-49.  I have had a new spec deact for a year, but recently bought an Old Spec one.

But I have other stuff that needs identifying (May not even be Belgian.)

Including a Mag pouch with Grenade side pouches, but with a plastic closing clip much like the one clip pictured on here  on a FNC pouch.  
This Mag pouch may be ABL, certainly a Mecar M73 practice grenade fits the side pockets a treat. It wont take an M50 assault grenade though.


Interested in the half tent pouch (that makes hood for Poncho). I have two complete pup tents one with wooden poles, one with Aluminium poles, but I only have bags for the wooden pole tents.  This bag is far to small for a hood, has no mounting method on the webbing, and the poncho have no hand or arm slits in it.

The other pup tent I have has got slits for the arms, but no bag (which presumably is the hood when worn as a poncho?

I now seek the bag/ hood for a half Tent!

I also have a Blindicide launcher, and I am searchng for Rocket carrying pouches for this?  where any made?  (also seek Energa transport pouches if they existed.)

Are both of these M71 webbing? and if so is the paler one correctly made?

In particular the loop just below the shoulder padding,  On the Darker green yoke it faces out, on the lighter yoke it lies on the inside of the straps.

I assume this loop is meant to act in a similar way to British 58 pattern webbing where the rucksack strap affixes to this loop?


But if so you cannot attach the rucksack strap in the same way as you can with the Darker webbing.

Is this a manufacturing fault on the lighter yoke or is there a sensible reason why one loop is on the outside and one is on the inside?

Sorry about last post,  I cannot get Imgur to resize for this forum,  I have re-posted same pictures from Photobucket.  These seem a better size

It appears to be a manufacturing error.

Wolverine wrote:It appears to be a manufacturing error.

The wrongly assembled one is one of a pair that came with a bulk buy. I suspected it was not meant to be that way, and the second one I have already pulled apart for "spares" Thanks for a prompt answer.

I will start to post some stuff I am happy about soon!

It also occurred to me that the snap-hooks on the rucksack straps are not really intended to mate up with the D-ring on the suspenders, but rather, with the D-rings on the top rear of the ammunition pouches.

On the original US M1956 equipment, the suspender D-ring was meant to be used with the sleeping bag carrying straps and also for attaching the snap-hooks on the small straps that supported the small arms ammunition cases. Neither of these purposes applies for the Belgian version, although the Greek version functions the same as the US. Of course, the D-rings can also be used for general purpose attachment, but I don't recall the Belgian manual showing the rucksack snap-hooks attached to the D-rings directly.

Mofified and unmodified pouch

One of my sets, maybe not assembled completely correctly but I am learning

Since I have only found one vynil waterbottle carrier this set has a temporary Flecktarn water bottle carrier

Collapsible bowl.

Ballistite cartridges for Energa

HiPower Mags

Vigneron Pouches but with Sten and Sten mags. I know ABL used Sten up into the 80's, would they have used Vigneron pouches though?

Same kit with M2 and Vigneron mags.

Folging Shovel not ABL but British, I seek an ABL stamped shovel for this pouch.

Back of pouch

Correct water bottle pouch for this rig.

Yes, I know, pouches probably not attached correctly!

Start of another set, Again I only have Flecktarn Water bottle carrier for this set.

Mystery Pouches,  Bought as Grenade pouches but are they?


A couple of canteen sets
Most of my canteens have American style fold under handles,  I have just one of these Butterfly handle canteens.

Random picture... Snipers gloves

Two Half tents/Pup tents, but what era is this Rucksack?


Pup tent.   Any idea of era?

The rucksack you have I believe is French, not Belgian. Model 1953. I know the Belgians made a copy of it, but it was made in the same vinyl as the rest of the set. So it would have had to been used by the Belgians after the adoption in the French army, so after the 1960's probably.

The rucksack is likely Belgian. Before the M1971 set was adopted, Belgian airborne troops were already using a copy of the French TAP rucksack made of a similar type of canvas. I have an unissued Belgian model, plus a well used one. They are very similar to the M1971 in pattern, except for the material. There is also a nylon version. I can pull them out for comparative photographs.

The pup tent (or at least the case itself) is not Belgian, but appears to be the Austrian pattern that was issued around the same time as the Austrian model 75 (?) webbing, which is loosely similar to the M1956 pattern.

In your webbing set, the canteen pouch belongs to the air force set, which was a different pattern/design all together. Also, the buckles and hooks that join the magazine pouches to the D-rings on the suspenders are improvised. Did you find them like this, or make them up yourself from spare parts?

Your FAL pouches are really nice! It is tough to find them in good condition.

I don't know about the small pouch with the grenades. I think it is surely Belgian, but I am not familiar with the purpose.

Wolverine wrote:The pup tent (or at least the case itself) is not Belgian, but appears to be the Austrian pattern that was issued around the same time as the Austrian model 75 (?) webbing, which is loosely similar to the M1956 pattern.

In your webbing set, the canteen pouch belongs to the air force set, which was a different pattern/design all together. Also, the buckles and hooks that join the magazine pouches to the D-rings on the suspenders are improvised. Did you find them like this, or make them up yourself from spare parts?

Your FAL pouches are really nice! It is tough to find them in good condition.

I don't know about the small pouch with the grenades. I think it is surely Belgian, but I am not familiar with the purpose.

The pup tent is a hybrid I have two half tents that came in these bags.  These tents did not have arm holes to make poncho.  The tents now in the bags have arm holes and I believe are ABL, but I did not get a pouch with these two.  One tent had aluminium poles, the other had wooden poles.

Can someone post a pic of ABL half tent with its poles and stakes,  I will try to get the tents back paired up with the right poles and stakes. Thanks for the advice.

Antarmike wrote:

Wolverine wrote:The pup tent (or at least the case itself) is not Belgian, but appears to be the Austrian pattern that was issued around the same time as the Austrian model 75 (?) webbing, which is loosely similar to the M1956 pattern.

In your webbing set, the canteen pouch belongs to the air force set, which was a different pattern/design all together. Also, the buckles and hooks that join the magazine pouches to the D-rings on the suspenders are improvised. Did you find them like this, or make them up yourself from spare parts?

Your FAL pouches are really nice! It is tough to find them in good condition.

I don't know about the small pouch with the grenades. I think it is surely Belgian, but I am not familiar with the purpose.

The pup tent is a hybrid I have two half tents that came in these bags.  These tents did not have arm holes to make poncho.  The tents now in the bags have arm holes and I believe are ABL, but I did not get a pouch with these two.  One tent had aluminium poles, the other had wooden poles.

Can someone post a pic of ABL half tent with its poles and stakes,  I will try to get the tents back paired up with the right poles and stakes. Thanks for the advice.

If I recall correctly, ABL tents sheets in vinyl should have the arm holes, the bag/hood, a small pouch for poles and pegs, and metal poles and pegs, plus a guy rope. I will have to dig out my set to photograph. But the set up was basically the same as with the jigsaw and moons and balls tents.

The Austrian tent does not have arm holes, and there is not separate case for the poles, etc.

i am pretty sure Ali poles came with tents with arm holes, but I can't remember which of two types of pegs belongs to which tent. I thinky the pegs foe the the armhole tent where bigger and more sophisticated than the simple , almost civilian pattern, pegs of the no arm hole tent.

Would very much appreciate a picture sometime. Thanks.

Wolverine wrote:The rucksack is likely Belgian. Before the M1971 set was adopted, Belgian airborne troops were already using a copy of the French TAP rucksack made of a similar type of canvas. I have an unissued Belgian model, plus a well used one. They are very similar to the M1971 in pattern, except for the material. There is also a nylon version. I can pull them out for comparative photographs.

My second Rucksack...Only differs from the first one I posted in that it has a velcro panel......




I confess to being a wimp, so I have a two part inner / outer sleeping bag, and also carry a separte Bivvy bag to cover all eventualities on my Jaunts with the Minerva.