Original Item: Only One Available. If you have ever done real backpacking and camping, this is doubtlessly an item that you are familiar with. Few seem to realize however that the development of the U.S. designs were directly linked to preparing for WWII. The world had taken notice of the Soviet invasion of Finland, often called "The Winter War", where the invading Red Army suffered FIVE TIMES the losses that the Finns did. The Ski-trooper based guerilla tactics utilized by the Finnish army led to the U.S. Skiing advocates to develop their own system of training and outfitting ski troopers.

One thing that would definitely be needed would be a small, portable stove easily deployed in mountainous regions. The Coleman company was contracted to design a stove and given 60 days, which produced the model 520, sometimes referred to as the M-1941. Coleman began production, with American Gas Machine Company (AGM) also being brought on to more rapidly fill the need. Over a million examples of this type of stove was produced during the war. A mountain training school was set up during this time to train the ski troopers in Camp Hale, Colorado.

At the same time this was happening, several experienced mountaineers were brought in by the U.S. Quartermaster General to help improve clothing and equipment for the U.S. Army’s mountain divisions. One of these was Bestor Robinson, who received several patents for his design of a "compact" camp stove, usually called the "mountain stove", which was a bit shorter than the Coleman design. The original design resulted in the M-1942 "Wheel" stove, which had a large wheel at the bottom to control the fuel flow. This was supposed to be easy to use with gloved hands in the cold. However the design was changed soon after, resulting in the M-1942 MOD (modified), which had a traditional fuel control setup. These were manufactured by Aladdin, Prentiss Wabers, and Coleman during the war. Made of stainless steel and brass, they are extremely resilient to any type of weather conditions.

To house these stoves, an aluminum canister was designed, with a "bayonet" style closure at the top, which engages a protrusion on the base. To accommodate both the regular M-1941 and the compact M-1942, the locking groove is "F" shaped, hence the name.

This is a very nice example of the M-1942 MOD, made by Aladdin, complete with the original aluminum bayonet "F" canister. Collapsed, it measures 6 1/2 inches tall, with a width of 3 3/4 inches. Like the M-1941, it is designed to run off gasoline, either leaded or more preferably white, which did not have any additives. The stoves had no need for the lubricating properties of leaded gas, and it was also safer for the soldiers. The stove features fold out feet on the bottom and fold out burner supports on the top to increase the stability.

The side of the brass fuel tank is marked with the maker and date information:

U.S.
M-1942 MOD
ALADDIN - 1945

This indicates that it was definitely a military issued stove, and not a civilian version. The stove looks to be in good condition, and all parts seem to be present. The pump is still present and moves, however we were not able to get any compression, most likely due to wear on the seals. The fuel cap opens, the fuel valve turns, and the burner adjustment also still moves, though we have not checked to see if the internals are still present and working.

The original aluminum canister is in good service used condition, showing the expected wear on the exterior, with some gasoline varnish on the inside from the fuel. It still locks closed, and is marked on the bottom with the maker and date, indicating military production:

U.S.
C.M. MFG. CO.
1945

A great piece of WWII Field gear, which most likely saw use long after the war. Sadly the patents used in the M-1942 design were held by the government, so no Civilian version emerged after the war, making this a very desirable design. Ready to display!