Ammunition Pouches (American)

This article deals with ammunition pouches used by the American forces. They were designed to be attached to the M1912 or M1936 Pistol Belt with hooks.

Pistol Pouches
The M1912 Two-Cell Pistol Magazine Pouch was designed to hold two 7-round magazines of ammunition for the Colt M1911 Self-Loading Pistol. It had a pointed magazine flap and two "lift-the-dot" fasteners.

The M1918 Pistol Magazine Pouch was similar, except it had a rounded pouch flap.

Submachinegun Ammo Pouches
The Thompson M1 submachinegun had two different magazine pouches. The first model, the 5-Pocket Magazine Case, could carry five 20-round magazines and came in light Olive Drab cloth (OD-3). The second model, the 3-Pocket Magazine Case, could carry three 30-round magazines and came in dark Olive Drab cloth (OD-7). Another ammo pouch was used by the Navy and Marines with the M1928 Thompson. It was a shoulder bag for carrying 50-round drum magazines that was slung across the chest.

Combat Use
The SMG Ammo carrier was used widely by Army and Marine infantrymen issued the M3 "Grease Gun" or M1 Thompson submachine gun. They could be attached to pistol belts and suspenders.

Carbine Pouches
The M1 Carbine pouch had two cells and could carry a standard 15-round carbine magazine in each cell. The 30-round "Banana" clip was developed towards the end of the war and wasn't available until after it.

A modified pouch was available that fit over the stock of the carbine to aid in a quicker reload.

Shotgun Pouches
The M1918 Shotgun Ammunition Bag was a khaki-colored haversack that had four horizontal rows of 8 shell loops (2 rows in the inside front and 2 rows in the inside back of the pouch) for a total of 32 shells.

The rectangular M1921 Shotgun Ammunition Pouch had two horizontal rows of 6 shell loops (1 row in the inside front and 1 row in the inside back of the pouch) for a total of 12 shells. It was fastened with two "lift the dot" snaps and had two loops in the back to slide it onto the pistol belt.

Later model pouches were similar except they were made of a different shade of canvas cloth. The M1938 pouch was Olive Drab and the post-war M1956 was Olive Green.

Haversacks and Bags
The M6 Carrier bag was purposed for carrying a gasmask but was also found useful for storing odds and ends. Soldiers used it to carry 20-round Thompson magazines (10 each), grenades (6 each), and rifle grenades (5 each).

The later M1 General Purpose ammunition carrying bag replaced the M6. It could carry a 250-round machinegun belt (with or without the M1 Standard Ammunition Box), 5 rifle grenades, or 11 hand grenades in storage tubes.