Item Description
Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. Now this is one hell of a war souvenir! This is a great M1904 Knapsack utilized by a member of the 41st Aero Squadron, and in it he brought home a canvas Ammunition belt for the MG08/15 Machine gun, with 93 rounds of WWI Dated 8mm Mauser INERT ammo!
The M1904 Knapsack was a very odd piece of field gear, being used primarily by national guard units in the early 20th century. During World War I, many of them were reused and issued to enlisted men of Aero Squadrons, like this example utilized by the 41st Aero Squadron. There is a faint marking on the inside of the bag for manufacture at Rock Island Arsenal. The bag retains its original carrying strap and has a name crudely written on the front, Edd Forrest. This may be the name of the soldier, but a general search didn’t bring up any results.
Inside the bag is the aforementioned canvas ammunition belt for the MG08/15 machine gun. The belt shows heavy wear and many of the metal fittings show oxidation. There are 93 rounds still inserted in the belt, now rendered INERT non-firing and almost every one of them is dated 1917 on the bottom, with 2 or 3 being dated 1918. It is difficult enough to find any World War I dated 8mm ammunition, let alone a belt with 93 rounds!
This is a tremendous set, a great unit-marked knapsack and a phenomenal captured ammunition belt. Comes ready for further research and display!
- This product is not available for shipping in US state(s): California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Washington
This product is not available for international shipping.
- Magazines are stored and shipped from our PA location
High Capacity Magazine Laws & Restrictions
Due to State & Federal law we do not ship magazines that exceed the following capacities to the following locations, and a deactivated magazine will be sent:
California - 10 round maximum for all magazines.
Colorado - 15 round maximum for all magazines.
Connecticut - 10 round maximum for all magazines.
Hawaii - 10 round maximum for all magazines.
Illinois - 15 round maximum for Chicago and Aurora. 10 round maximum for Oak Park and Cook County.
Maryland - 10 round maximum for all magazines.
Massachusetts - 10 round maximum for all magazines
New Jersey - 10 round maximum for all magazines.
New York- 10 round maximum for all magazines.
Washington, D.C. - 10 round maximum for all magazines.
Washington (State) - 10 round maximum for all magazines.
International- No gun magazines can be exported from the USA.
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