First Special Service Force
6th CO, 3rd REG
Living History Group Member: HRS

The Rucksack story...

A mountain soldier could not fit all of his gear into the M-1928 haversack, the Army’s standard backpack at the beginning of World War II. Even if he could, the haversack carried the weight high on his back and it shifted side to side, throwing him off balance while skiing or climbing. Thus, the Army needed something more practical for their new mountain soldiers.

U.S. Army Specification File No. 2971, July 7, 1941

U.S. Army developed and adopted its first rucksack during the summer of 1941. The canvas duck sack was mounted on a steel wire or rattan frame that supported the load and held it off the soldier's back. Three pockets on the outside of the bag carried extra gear. Heavy felt pads on both the back support and the shoulder straps eased the burden. Brass snap hooks closed the two side pockets and the cover flap.

The 1941 pattern rucksacks were made during late 1941 and into early 1942. Most rucksacks are stamped “1941,” although some made by Powers Company can be found stamped "1942." Being based on a typical commercial rucksack, this first army rucksack was poorly suited for military use. The National Ski Association's Winter Equipment Committee reviewed the rucksack at the War Department's request and suggested twelve improvements that the QMC then incorporated into the next generation rucksack.

With the adoption of the Specification J.Q.D. 88 rucksack, the Army withdrew the 1941 pattern from service. Because the two patterns never overlapped within the supply system, they were never known as the M-1941 or M-1942 version. Its official name was always just "Rucksack."

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Quartermaster Tentative Specification J.Q.D. 88, March 14, 1942 National Ski Association's Winter Equipment Committee’s twelve suggestions created a rucksack better suited for military use. Tentative Specification J.Q.D. 88 rucksacks had a leather frame support that bore heavy loads better than the 1941 pattern’s web frame support pocket. Attaching the shoulder straps directly to the frame support held the rucksack more tightly to the soldier’s shoulders and let him carry the rucksack without a frame if needed.

Two wide, web straps with double-bar, bronze buckles encircled the rucksack pouch and pouch flap on both sides of the meat can pocket. The straps reinforced the pouch, kept the cover flap tightly closed to keep out snow, and squeezed the load close to the frame. A separate belly-band, worn higher than on the previous version, passed through slots made by the reinforcement straps. Four canvas equipment tabs,

two on each side of the rucksack, provided attachments for equipment such as the intrenching tool, bayonet, and first aid pouch. The rucksacks continued to use the heavy ribbed web shoulder straps and thick felt pads found on the 1941 pattern rucksacks. A new metal frame, made of ½-inch tubular steel, replaced the wire or rattan frame used with the 1941 rucksack. The frame had a more pronounced “U” shape with “horns” that came around the soldier’s hip. Three steel tubing pieces welded to the center of the frame formed a triangle for reinforcement. Being much sturdier than was necessary to support even the soldier’s heaviest loads, the tubular frame was specifically designed to form the body of an emergency sled by joining two rucksack fames and two pair of skis using ski adaptors and contraction bands. Specification J.Q.D. 88 rucksacks are extremely rare today. I have not seen one in twenty years of collecting mountain troop gear. Most likely few were made, as an improved version appeared only five months later. 

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Quartermaster Tentative Specification J.Q.D. 88B, August 26, 1942 Jeffersonvile Quartermaster Depot continued to refine the rucksack’s features in Tentative Specification J.Q.D. 88B. Regular canvas webbing replaced the ribbed webbing shoulder straps, the felt shoulder pads were eliminated, and the number of equipment attachment tabs decreased from four to three, all sewn along the upper left side of the pouch.

Most significantly, J.Q.D. 88B added a rifle securing strap, a wire rifle snap hook on the right horn of rucksack frame, and a small hook on the left shoulder strap. These additions made it easier for the soldier to carry his rifle while using a rucksack.

The J.Q.D. 88B rucksack was the primary rucksack used by the mountain soldiers during World War II. It was produced in large quantities and is the rucksack most commonly seen by collectors today

J.Q.D. 88B rucksack rear view. The large center pocket was for the meat can.

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Quartermaster Tentative Specification J.Q.D. 88F, August 1943 Specification J.Q.D. 88F changed the first eighteen inches of the pouch reinforcement straps from web to leather and changed the pouch reinforcement straps' double-bar buckles to tongue and roller buckles. These changes made the rucksack easier to open when the straps were frozen or while wearing mittens. These rucksacks used the darker OD shade 7 canvas adopted in July 1943 by the QMC for all web equipment. The dark color and long leather straps make it easy for collectors to spot the J.Q.D. 88F rucksack. Because they were made late in the rucksack's development and at a time when many J.Q.D. 88B rucksacks were already available, few, if any, J.Q.D. 88F rucksacks would have been used at Camp Hale. Collectors rarely see them today.

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Many companies produced rucksacks during World War II. Those that have been identified and the years that they manufactured rucksacks are listed in the table below. Once the companies completed their 1943 contracts, it appears that the QMC purchased no more rucksacks until 1951.

Year and Pattern Type

Company

1941 1942 1943 1944 1945

American Fabrics Co

- 88B 88F

- -

Atlantic Products Corp

- 88B - - -

Avery Mfg. Co

- 88B 88B,88F - -

Baker-Lockwood

Mfg. Co.

1941 88B 88B - -

Hinson Mfg. Co.

- 88B 88B,88F - -

Lichtenberger-Ferguson Co.

- - 88B - -

Lyon Coulson Inc.

- 88B - - -

Meese Inc.

1941 88B 88B - -

Morrow & Douglass

- 88B 88B - -

Powers Co.

1941 1941 - - -

Protections Products Co.

- 88B 88F - -

Simmons Company

- 88B - - -

Varied Mfg.

Co. Inc.

- 88B 88B - -

Werner Siegmund Inc.

- 88B 88B - -