The Pattern Web Equipment 1937, 1944

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Название: The Pattern 1937 Web Equipment, The Pattern 1944 Web Equipment

Издательство: His Majesty's Stationery Office

Страниц: 42, 36

Формат: PDF

Размер: 25 Мб

Качество: Хорошее

Год: 1939, 1946

Язык: английский

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1937 - Conducted under the aegis of the Braithwaite Committee, the web equipment trials of 1932-34 resulted in the selection of the Number 3 Pattern (shown right). The War Office then deferred putting it into service, pending the “…forthcoming introduction of automatic firing rifles…”, according to Lethern. Previous writers have stated this to be the Bren Gun, completely ignoring two facts: Lethern says “rifle”, not “L.M.G.” and trials were at that time being conducted on the .276-in. Pedersen Self-Loading Rifle, manufactured under licence by Vickers. In the event, this weapon was not adopted, but separate trials – for a Lewis Gun replacement – resulted in the selection of the immortal Bren Gun in 1936. Being fed by a 30 round box magazine, the War Office now required a re-think on the part of the Mills Equipment Company, since the No. 3 Equipment had catered only for charger-loaded rifle ammunition.

1944-This Pattern had its origins in two requirements for lighter patterns of web equipment, one for temperate zones, the other tropical. The result appears to have been a convergence of these designs. In 1945, the course of the War changed, Germany collapsing more suddenly than was expected, leaving a war in the Far East. The newly designed pattern was then pressed into service for that campaign, which was envisaged as lasting until 1946. Two atomic bombs rather shortened that estimate. Pattern 1944 therefore became a “theatre issue”, for units serving in the Far East. It also doubled in the role of a “unit specific” Pattern, being routinely worn by Airborne troops and the Gurkhas, often in temperate zones. All this makes Pattern 1944 W.E. rather different to other Patterns, before or since and there’s even more to the story.

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