WW2 USMC Camo SHELTER HALF & TAG With Ties, Rare USMC - Pole, Ropes, Pegs. NAMED
Item History & Price
This "killer" set of a Named, UNIS marked, EARLY 1943 dated Camo Shelter Half with the complete Set of 4 Camo Fabric Ties; a complete Set of Ropes -- both Manila Guy Line and Set of five Foot Ropes; the extremely RARE Mint USMC-Specific Pole; and a complete Set of 5 Hardwood PegsThis example of a UNIS-marked Shelter Half is named to two different COMBAT VETERANS. Gear simply don't turn up often in this well-preserved condition! THIS ...IS 100% ORIGINAL! (One Marine obviously was with a HEADQUARTERS COMPANY and another Marine may have been with the 24th MARINE REGIMENT.) On the Brown "Beach" side, in the very center, is stenciled in Forest Green paint, "824 / M. M. SCHUSTER / 564049 / 824" . And along the ridge line stenciled in Black paint is, "D. GLEASON" and beneath it in Yellow paint, "HQ" and beneath it in Yellow two parallel horizontal bars, "=" . On the Green "Jungle" side in the center is stenciled in Black paint, "DUVA - 83 / UP & T - 45- 187" and on the triangular end with the intact TAG is stenciled in Black paint, "D.F.G." and next to it in Yellow paint, "HQ.CO" and beneath it in Yellow two parallel horizontal bars, "=" .**********History of the 24th Marine Regiment:The 24th Marine Regiment was activated at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California on 26 March 1943. All three battalions were organized at Marine Corps Base Camp LeJeune, North Carolina prior to activation of the Regimental Headquarters. 1st Battalion, 24th Marines formed on 19 October 1942; 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines on 20 January 1943; rd Battalion, 24th Marines on 1 February 1943. In August of that same year the regiment was attached to the newly created 4th Marine Division.The regiment began movement to the combat zone in January 1944 when it sailed from San Diego, California for the enemy held Marshall Islands. The first combat assignment for the regiment was to take part in the seizure of Roi-Namur, twin islands in the Kwajalein Atoll. On 1 February, the regiment assaulted Namur. The 2d and 3d Battalions led the attack. On moving inland the regiment met strong resistance. Second Battalion suffered especially heavy casualties, primarily due to the explosion of an enemy ammunition dump. The island was completely wrested from the Japanese by the following day. The 24th Marines reembarked and sailed for Hawaii two days later. While stationed there, 24th Marines took part in the preparations for the invasion of the Mariana Islands.Saipan was the first objective of the Mariana Island Campaign for the regiment. The 24th Marines were originally placed in reserve. However, heavy fighting on the day of the landing, 15 June 1944, forced the call-up of the regiment. 24th Marines went ashore that afternoon joining other Marine units from the2n Marine Division and 4th Marine Divisions in pushing inland. The Japanese stubbornly resisted the invading Americans until 9 July when the island was declared secure. (Academy Award-winning actor Lee Marvin was a member of "I" Company, 24th Marines, and was seriously wounded in the assault against a Japanese salient on 18 June 1944.)American military forces in the Marianas next turned their attention to the neighboring island of Tinian. The 24th Marines had a leading role in the campaign to seize Tinian. The regiment was in the first wave to hit the beaches. Enemy opposition was quickly overcome and the 24th Marines rapidly moved inland. By 1 August organized resistance had ended with the island under American control. The regiment returned to Hawaii at the end of the month.In Hawaii, the 24th Marines received replacements for losses suffered in the Marianas and started training for its toughest battle of World War II - Iwo Jima. In late January 1945, the 24th Marines embarked and sailed for the Japanese stronghold, landing on 19 February, with other 4th Marine Division units. From the very beginning of the operation the 24th Marines remained locked in battle, often in hand-to-hand combat. The last enemy pocket of resistance was finally crushed on 16 March. The regiment was relieved two days later and immediately boarded naval vessels and returned to Hawaii. The regiment suffered 652 killed and 1053 wounded.On 21 February 1945, the 4th Marine Division was locked in battle against strong enemy forces protecting Motoyama Airfield #1. Multiple enemy defensive belts guarded this major complex on Iwo Jima's central plateau. The 24th Marines were assigned to drive to the O-1 line and clear the airfield.
**********USMC Camouflage (Reversible) “Shelter, Half, ” in EXCELLENT Condition, with a COMPLETE Contract Tag. Still intact and legible. - ALL five (5) of the Manila FOOT ROPES are present.- ZERO pulled Grommets or damage to the Sets of Double Grommets along the ridgeline and along the bottom edge!- ZERO paint loss to the OD painted "Sunburst" Buttons. These were the WWI-era Double-Button necessitated by the fact that the Shelter Half was reversible. Other than someminor scattered transferred ink/paint smudges from the stenciling and some dinginess to the once-white cotton Contract Tag.The only "battle damage" to report on this piece of Canvas are several missing "Sunburst" Buttons: of the 14, five (5) have gone AWOL on some Pacific atolls. What's excellent is that when the Buttons 'took leave' of the fabric they did NOT tear, but left only a microscopic hole where the shank of the Double Button passed through the fabric! The Shelter Half still is capable of being joined to another securely.- The Colors are FANTASTIC! Colors are crisp, BRIGHT and unfaded!- Even the ENTIRE coveted POWERS & CO. Contract Tag is present which reads, "SHELTER, HALF / Contract Nom - 42504 / POWERS & CO. 1943 / 3378 Inspec-tion".This camouflage tent duck material was woven and printed by the J. W. VALENTINE COMPANY of New York City, NY and fabricated by the POWERS & COMPANY under contract NOM 40172 (ordered in May of 1943 and completed by October 1943). These CAMOUFLAGE SHELTER HALVES first appeared in combat on November 1, 1943 in Operation GOODTIME, the landing on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands and served as shelter from the sun even more that from rain. Reference sources of tables of USMC Contracts, confirm this Contract 42504 was awarded and completed by mid-1943 which means this Shelter Half could gone ashore on any and all of bitterly contested USMC campaigns in the Pacific from Bougainville until Okinawa. **********USMC-specific Tent Pole in absolutely PERFECT condition! ZERO damage to the two pointed turned-wood ferrules.ZERO bends to the sheet metal joints, This variant was UNIQUE to the U.S. Marine Corps and ONLY found with USMC tentage!! These POLES are few and far between... and RARELY encountered. These DEFINITELY saw use on Okinawa in the Spring of 1945!! See the included photograph for evidence of Corpsmen using them as Plasma Stands! (page 94 of Jeff Warner’s SAILORS IN FOREST GREEN: USN PERSONNEL ATTACHED TO THE USMC).- Turned wood Ferrules on BOTH ends (instead of the single metal pin on ONE end only of the Army model)!!- Unique SLIDING COUPLINGS (instead of the simple cylinders on the Army model). Note: These metal fittings are SOMETIMES are found painted USMC Forest Green or Black. ZERO bends! ZERO rust or corrosion!- Unpainted White Ash SECTIONS. ZERO warping, cracks, stains to the Wood or “bends” to the joints. Only some Masking Tape residue from being taped together at the factory or a USMC Quartermaser Depot.- Stamped on the sheet steel hardware is the name of the manufacturer and sole proprietor of the Sliding Coupling, “COMMERCIAL METAL PROD. CO. / PHILA. Pa., U.S.A. PAT. APPLIED FOR”.- ALL Hinges slide and engage correctly. ZERO functional problems with the Hardware!!Research indicates that Herman Ozlek of Philadelphia invented the coupling/hinge device and applied for the Patent on June 20, 1943. He had also applied to the U.S.Patent Office twenty years earlier (in 1923) for a Patent on what he described as a “SANITARY DRINKING DEVICE”!Here’s the info on his tent pole hinge/ Sliding Coupling Joint:“Nov. 27, 1945. H. OZLEK JOINT FOR POLES AND THE Filed July 20, 1943 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Invented Nov. 27, 1945. H. OZLEK 2, 389. 1 JOINT FOR POLES AND THE LIKE Filed July 20, 1943; 1, 3915 22, 2225.Patented Nov. 27, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOINT FOR POLES AND...Herman Ozlek, Philadelphia, Pa., Application July 20, 1943, Serial No. 495, 511."I suspect these unduly complicated Poles did not stand up well, the thin sheet metal joints being prone to deformation and were removed from the USMC QMD Supply System at the end of the war — but it appears these poles served in one of the most bitterly contested battles of the Pacific that claimed 200, 000 lives, military and civilian, — that cruel 3-month campaign that pitted 548, 000 American Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, and Aviators against 110, 000 troops of the Empire of Japan— with countless, defenseless island inhabitants between them: Okinawa.PERFECT Condition from the factory or the QUARTERMASTER DEPOT OF SUPPLIES! **********The four USMC Camouflage “Ties” with the EARLIEST "CAST" BRASS blued Buckles are in untouched MINT condition! - This Complete Matching Set of 4, of uniform length, were threaded through the LOOPS on the folded Shelter Half!! Rare to find on the loose!! All four were used for the Bedroll of theTRANSPORT PACK, two for the Bedroll of the COMBAT PACK.- ZERO fading, rays, stains, wear, or damage of ANY sort whatsoever!**********FIVE (5) Mint condition HARDWOOD TENT PEGS as issued to each MARINE with the Shelter, Half!- The lathe-turned ends of the PEGS are in PERFECT condition and have never been pounded into the earth, coral, or volcanic sand of a Pacific atoll.- ZERO splits, warps, cracks, or stains!- Note: These are NOT the more current Vietnam-era Pegs with the narrower profile!**********USMC Rope Set for one Shelter Half!- ONE (1) Mint USMC-issue MANILA (and NOT Sisal or Cotton) GUY LINE 1/4 inch diameter, 71/2 feet long with the CORRECT “EYE” Splice at one end.- FIVE (5) Mint condition MANILA FOOT ROPES for the paired Grommets along the Foot Edge of the Shelter. Together this is a RARE assemblage ... in RARE condition...worthy of being researched!!
**********USMC Camouflage (Reversible) “Shelter, Half, ” in EXCELLENT Condition, with a COMPLETE Contract Tag. Still intact and legible. - ALL five (5) of the Manila FOOT ROPES are present.- ZERO pulled Grommets or damage to the Sets of Double Grommets along the ridgeline and along the bottom edge!- ZERO paint loss to the OD painted "Sunburst" Buttons. These were the WWI-era Double-Button necessitated by the fact that the Shelter Half was reversible. Other than someminor scattered transferred ink/paint smudges from the stenciling and some dinginess to the once-white cotton Contract Tag.The only "battle damage" to report on this piece of Canvas are several missing "Sunburst" Buttons: of the 14, five (5) have gone AWOL on some Pacific atolls. What's excellent is that when the Buttons 'took leave' of the fabric they did NOT tear, but left only a microscopic hole where the shank of the Double Button passed through the fabric! The Shelter Half still is capable of being joined to another securely.- The Colors are FANTASTIC! Colors are crisp, BRIGHT and unfaded!- Even the ENTIRE coveted POWERS & CO. Contract Tag is present which reads, "SHELTER, HALF / Contract Nom - 42504 / POWERS & CO. 1943 / 3378 Inspec-tion".This camouflage tent duck material was woven and printed by the J. W. VALENTINE COMPANY of New York City, NY and fabricated by the POWERS & COMPANY under contract NOM 40172 (ordered in May of 1943 and completed by October 1943). These CAMOUFLAGE SHELTER HALVES first appeared in combat on November 1, 1943 in Operation GOODTIME, the landing on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands and served as shelter from the sun even more that from rain. Reference sources of tables of USMC Contracts, confirm this Contract 42504 was awarded and completed by mid-1943 which means this Shelter Half could gone ashore on any and all of bitterly contested USMC campaigns in the Pacific from Bougainville until Okinawa. **********USMC-specific Tent Pole in absolutely PERFECT condition! ZERO damage to the two pointed turned-wood ferrules.ZERO bends to the sheet metal joints, This variant was UNIQUE to the U.S. Marine Corps and ONLY found with USMC tentage!! These POLES are few and far between... and RARELY encountered. These DEFINITELY saw use on Okinawa in the Spring of 1945!! See the included photograph for evidence of Corpsmen using them as Plasma Stands! (page 94 of Jeff Warner’s SAILORS IN FOREST GREEN: USN PERSONNEL ATTACHED TO THE USMC).- Turned wood Ferrules on BOTH ends (instead of the single metal pin on ONE end only of the Army model)!!- Unique SLIDING COUPLINGS (instead of the simple cylinders on the Army model). Note: These metal fittings are SOMETIMES are found painted USMC Forest Green or Black. ZERO bends! ZERO rust or corrosion!- Unpainted White Ash SECTIONS. ZERO warping, cracks, stains to the Wood or “bends” to the joints. Only some Masking Tape residue from being taped together at the factory or a USMC Quartermaser Depot.- Stamped on the sheet steel hardware is the name of the manufacturer and sole proprietor of the Sliding Coupling, “COMMERCIAL METAL PROD. CO. / PHILA. Pa., U.S.A. PAT. APPLIED FOR”.- ALL Hinges slide and engage correctly. ZERO functional problems with the Hardware!!Research indicates that Herman Ozlek of Philadelphia invented the coupling/hinge device and applied for the Patent on June 20, 1943. He had also applied to the U.S.Patent Office twenty years earlier (in 1923) for a Patent on what he described as a “SANITARY DRINKING DEVICE”!Here’s the info on his tent pole hinge/ Sliding Coupling Joint:“Nov. 27, 1945. H. OZLEK JOINT FOR POLES AND THE Filed July 20, 1943 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Invented Nov. 27, 1945. H. OZLEK 2, 389. 1 JOINT FOR POLES AND THE LIKE Filed July 20, 1943; 1, 3915 22, 2225.Patented Nov. 27, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOINT FOR POLES AND...Herman Ozlek, Philadelphia, Pa., Application July 20, 1943, Serial No. 495, 511."I suspect these unduly complicated Poles did not stand up well, the thin sheet metal joints being prone to deformation and were removed from the USMC QMD Supply System at the end of the war — but it appears these poles served in one of the most bitterly contested battles of the Pacific that claimed 200, 000 lives, military and civilian, — that cruel 3-month campaign that pitted 548, 000 American Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, and Aviators against 110, 000 troops of the Empire of Japan— with countless, defenseless island inhabitants between them: Okinawa.PERFECT Condition from the factory or the QUARTERMASTER DEPOT OF SUPPLIES! **********The four USMC Camouflage “Ties” with the EARLIEST "CAST" BRASS blued Buckles are in untouched MINT condition! - This Complete Matching Set of 4, of uniform length, were threaded through the LOOPS on the folded Shelter Half!! Rare to find on the loose!! All four were used for the Bedroll of theTRANSPORT PACK, two for the Bedroll of the COMBAT PACK.- ZERO fading, rays, stains, wear, or damage of ANY sort whatsoever!**********FIVE (5) Mint condition HARDWOOD TENT PEGS as issued to each MARINE with the Shelter, Half!- The lathe-turned ends of the PEGS are in PERFECT condition and have never been pounded into the earth, coral, or volcanic sand of a Pacific atoll.- ZERO splits, warps, cracks, or stains!- Note: These are NOT the more current Vietnam-era Pegs with the narrower profile!**********USMC Rope Set for one Shelter Half!- ONE (1) Mint USMC-issue MANILA (and NOT Sisal or Cotton) GUY LINE 1/4 inch diameter, 71/2 feet long with the CORRECT “EYE” Splice at one end.- FIVE (5) Mint condition MANILA FOOT ROPES for the paired Grommets along the Foot Edge of the Shelter. Together this is a RARE assemblage ... in RARE condition...worthy of being researched!!
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