Cartridge Belt

A Cartridge Belt is a waistbelt that was covered in pockets containing rifle ammunition. There was a row of grommets across the bottom to mount accessories like the canteen or first aid pouch and across the top to attach suspender straps to distribute the weight of the belt. Each pocket could hold two 5-round stripper clips or one 8-round "en-bloc" clip. It was used by the American military in every war it fought in the first half of the 20th Century.

It replaced earlier webbed cloth designs that used belt loops to hold individual cartridges. Those tended to stretch with use and washing, causing them to allow cartridges to work their way out of the loops or be too loose to hold ammunition at all.

Dismounted & Mounted Versions
The Dismounted (or Infantry) version was designed for use by infantry. The Mounted (or Cavalry) version was used by cavalry.

M1903 Infantry Model
This version had nine pockets for rifle ammo and brackets for mounting a saber hanger on the left side. It had an adjustable waist by means of metal claws near the front and had rimless metal snaps marked with the US Army "G.I." Eagle. It could hold two 5-round stripper clips per pocket, for a total of 90 rounds. Most of the National Guard units in the American Expeditionary Force were equipped with this model during World War One.

The Marine Corps had a version in a "mustard tan" color with metal "Eagle and Anchor" snaps. They used this model for most of World War One. It was replaced in 1918 by an identical improved production model with easier to open "lift-the-dot" snaps like the war-production M1910 Infantry Model.

M1909 Cavalry Model
This version had nine pockets for rifle ammo, the saber hanger brackets of the M1903 Infantry belt, and two pairs of horizontally placed pockets for revolver ammo flanking the belt clasp. Each revolver pocket held 6 rounds of ammo (for a total of 24 rounds) and each rifle pocket could hold two 5-round stripper clips (for a total of 90 rounds).

M1910 Infantry Model
This is the version used in World War One (1914-1919). It was made of cloth webbing, had ten pockets for rifle ammo, and omitted the saber hanger brackets from the earlier models. Each rifle pocket could hold two 5-round stripper clips (for a total of 100 rounds). It also had a quick-release buckle to allow the soldier to drop the belt in emergencies and had an adjustable waist by means of metal claws at the back. The pockets were vertically-ribbed and were "snug" to keep the ammo from falling out. Pre-war and post-war models had a cloth partition with an overstrap that separated the two stripper clips in the pocket. A simplified mass-production version made during the war (1917-1918) eliminated this feature to save time and cloth. The pockets originally had rimless metal snaps like the M1903 model but transitioned to "lift-the-dot" snaps by 1918. The M1910 was made from 1911 to 1920.

M1910 Mounted Model
This version had eight pockets for rifle ammo (holding 80 rounds total) and two pairs of horizontally placed pockets on either side of the belt clasp for pistol ammo (holding 24 rounds total). The revolver pockets were sometimes removed and M1912 pistol magazine pouches for the Colt M1911 self-Loading Pistol were sewn on in their place.

M1914 Mounted Model
This version had nine pockets and an empty space on the right front side near the belt buckle set with a snap fastener. It was designed for mounting the M1912 Two-Cell Pistol Magazine Pouch for the Colt M1911 Self-Loading Pistol. Most were converted to Dismounted form by sewing an extra rifle ammo pouch in the voided space.

M1923 Dismounted Model
This is the version used during World War Two (1941-1945) and Korea (1950-1953). The model was made of canvas and had ten pockets. Each pocket could hold two 5-round stripper clips (for a total of 100 rounds) or one 8-round "en-bloc" clip (for a total of 80 rounds). It had an improved buckle, simpler waist adjustment system, and rows of reinforced grommets on the top and bottom to attach accessory hooks to. It was made from 1941 to 1960.