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Unusual Thompson Mag Pouches


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APEX recently received a huge shipment of material.
Included with the parts, etc. were a number of different pouches.
One in particular is interesting as they were intended to carry 2 30 round Thompson magazines and were issued by the Greek Army.
They are a "modern" design, using features for ALICE LBE.
They have a grenade carrier on each side (like the 70's era M-14 & M16 pouches)

I have them pictured on the APEX web site:

https://www.apexgunparts.com/more/surplus/pouches/thompson-dual-magazine-pouch-od-green-canvas-vg.html

 

Here are the pictures...

 

16_jan19_tmpsn_mag_pouch_greek_mid206f.p

 

 

16_jan19_tmpsn_mag_pouch_greek_mid207f.p

 

 

16_jan19_tmpsn_mag_pouch_greek_mid201f.p

 

 

Has anyone run across pictures of these pouches being used by the Greek military?

Somewhere I have a picture of a scrap yard in Greece loaded up with demilled US origin small arms.

Richard

 

 

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Those are pouches of the M1970 equipment. The M1970 system was based on the American M1956 Infantry Load-Carrying Equipment which was supplied to the Greeks by the US after The Junta, when a group of officers from the army overthrew the elected government and ran the country as a dictatorship.

 

On a side note, those clips to attach the pouch to the belt are properly termed "M1956 attaching clips", as they are so-named in the manual for the M1956 equipment.

Edited by Big Al
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Just noticed something as I was browsing through the rest of your wares. You have some leather pouches listed as British to go with the Vickers gun.

 

https://www.apexgunparts.com/more/heavy-weapons/vickers-tripod-tool-pouch-leather-corroded-asis.html

 

They are in fact American for the M1917 heavy machine gun. You can see one here in this photograph hanging from the rear leg of the tripod. Of particular note is the man kneeling at the left directly behind the gun is none other than Val A. Browning, John M. Browning's son. He went to France with the 79th Division in part to instruct soldiers in the use of his father's weapons.

post-258340-0-17772600-1547755982_thumb.jpg

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Big Al, thank you for that info and the correction.
If I remember handling those tripod pouches, there was something about the item or a marking that made me think "British"

So far I have three types of "M1970" system pouches, M1 Rifle, M1 Thompson and M-14 rifle.
I had the M1956 gear during my time in the US Army.

The common name of "ALICE" was applied to all of it, usually in reference to how I was wearing it, or the cleanliness of it!

 

Richard

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Very cool Greek web gear from Apex, and commentary by Big Al!

 

Well priced, too!

 

David

 

Thank you for the kind words.

I priced the recently listed pouches to appeal to both the casual collector and the practical user.

I added some really used ones to my "accumulation" of range kit.

 

Richard

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Richard,

 

What do your M1 pouches look like? I'm away from my books at the moment, but I'm wondering if they are documented anywhere?

 

Update: I found them, and just placed an order for 2 of the Thompson, and 2 of the M1 pouches.

 

Thanks!

 

David Albert

dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

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Richard,

 

What do your M1 pouches look like? I'm away from my books at the moment, but I'm wondering if they are documented anywhere?

 

Update: I found them, and just placed an order for 2 of the Thompson, and 2 of the M1 pouches.

 

Thanks!

 

David Albert

dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

I appreciate your order!

When I re-locate the crate we also have M-14 pouches in this Greek M-1970 pattern.

I will be interested in knowing what you learn about these Greek pouches.

 

Richard

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I placed an order for a pair of Thompson pouches immediately after making my initial comment. I missed out on the ones Numrich had years ago and have been debating on buying a pair of them from Greece on eBay ever since. Glad you were able to bring these to market!

 

I have a pair of the M1 clip pouches. The idea was based on the cartridge carriers of the British Pattern 1937 equipment, which the Greeks received a great deal of during and in the years following WWII. A good description of the P'37 cartridge carrier and its intended use can be found in the link below.

http://www.karkeeweb.com/patterns/1937/1937_cartridge_carriers.html

Edited by Big Al
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Richard: any chance that you can cull out a few of the US 1917 BMG leather parts boxes that are in good condition without broken or dried out straps? The verdigris doesnt matter. Id take a couple at a premium. Bob Naess

 

Bob, the person who knows where the tray of leather parts boxes hasn't been at work this week.

As soon as I can locate them I will advise on how they all look.

 

Richard

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Richard,

 

I received my Thompson and M1 Garand pouches yesterday. They look great! Definitely unissued, NOS web gear.

 

Thanks for all the Apex swag with my order! (Many stickers, nitrile gloves for handling gun parts, and a Christmas ornament! - My wife and oldest daughter say it's not going on the tree, but I'll be sure to sneak it on next year)

 

David Albert

dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

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I love ApexGunParts. They have great stuff for reasonable prices. Recently put a 1915 MKIII Enfield back into working order with a few parts from Apex. Good people.

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Richard,

 

I received my Thompson and M1 Garand pouches yesterday. They look great! Definitely unissued, NOS web gear.

 

Thanks for all the Apex swag with my order! (Many stickers, nitrile gloves for handling gun parts, and a Christmas ornament! - My wife and oldest daughter say it's not going on the tree, but I'll be sure to sneak it on next year)

 

David Albert

dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

 

David, I am glad to know that you are pleased with the items that were shipped in you order.

Those M1 Rifle and Thompson SMG pouches are selling really well.

Very few show any real use.

 

My Customer Service supervisor is the person who makes the Christmas ornaments happen and keeps the swag available.

A good number of our customers have to "seize" a place on the tree for the APEX ornament!

 

Richard

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I received mine earlier in the week. The two I received show a difference in the shade of the canvas, and also the one on the right has shiny hardware (snaps and the compression buckle on the steadying strap) instead of dark like the one on the left.

post-258340-0-78488500-1548389314_thumb.jpg

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