Introduction:
Without
delving into too much detail about Danish foreign politics of the
Cold War, the Danish army adopting an almost carbon copy of the British Load Bearing Equipment (LBE) for the armed forces only makes sense if one knows that Denmark initially bound
itself to a British sphere of interest in the first decade of the Cold War.
The reason for this
is straight forward. Great Britain had since the late 1800s been the
most important market for the agricultural surplus of Denmark (butter
and bacon), and Britain had shown itself during World War Two and
immediately after as a ‘friend’ of Denmark and Danish political
and economical interests. Hence it was no surprise that following the
end of World War Two Denmark choose to support the British
occupational forces in Northern Germany with a substantial number of
troops. Since the Danish soldiers were part of the British forces
they were supplied with surplus British uniforms and webbing from the
war.
Keeping with this initial choice the post-WWII Equipment Commission tasked
with procuring and developing a new LBE for the Danish Armed Forces contacted the London based company Mills
Equipment Company Ltd. The Commission had found the British 1937
Webbing Equipment wanting, especially the entrenching tool and water
bottle, and wanted a number of "upgrades".
The ‘Oppakningssystem’ M/45-50: Between 1946-1950 the Danish Equipment Commission and
Mills developed a distinct Danish webbing systems based on components
from several different British webbing sets. Most noticeably the webbing equipment incorporated design details and items from:
- British pattern 1937 webbing,
- British pattern 1940
cavalry webbing
- British pattern 1944 webbing.
- The US entrenching tool and carrier (altered)
- The British MK II Lightweight Respirator bag (altered).
- The US bayonet and scabbard for the Garand Riffle (Both surplus "cut-down" M/1905 bayonets and new M1 bayonets made on license in Italy).
The final pieces were added in
1950 and the entire LBE was named
‘Oppakningssystem M/45-50’
in Danish services.
Design philosophy:
The LBE was meant to be used by all ranks - and had a number of inserts for the M/50 universal pouch (U-taske): Pistol, binoculars, riffle grenade, compass etc. The inserts would block acces to the bottom part of the pouch, hence the need for the trapdoors at the bottom.
The idea never really caught on, and stand alone pieces for pistols, binoculars, etc. were made. But in theory alle ranks using the same equipment would make NCO's and officers stand less out amongst the regular rank and file.
M/45-50 oddities:
The M/45-50 system was meant to be used together with the US Garand riffle formally introduced in Danish service in 1950. However, the US or Italian made Scabbards for the M1 bayonet did not fit the British style belt, and a new ‘adapter’ was designed that allowed the bayonet to be worn
without altering the scabbard.
US made covers for the entrenching
tool and British carriers for the Mk. II Lightweight Respirator was altered in Denmark
to fit the belt. The
US entrenching tool, cover, and the respirator bag were
integral
parts of the M45-50 Webbing Equipment. But new entrenching tool covers were not produced before the late 1950s, and a new carrier for the Gas mask was never produced. The WWII surplus being too cheap and plentiful.
Contents of the Small Pack:
Depending on the year / decade, which manuels you read, and the "tall tales" of former soldiers the small pack carried (depending on the season): Spare socks, camo scarf, gloves, flashlight, cap, mess tin, Esbit Stove and fuel, emergency ration, part of the normal rations, knife-fork-spoon set, toiletries, shoe maintaining kit, etc.
According to the 1961 manual the small pack was meant to contain:
- Toiletries
- Shoe maintaining kit.
- 1 pullover.
- 2 pairs of socks (or 1 pair in the pack - 1 pair in one of the pockets of the uniform).
- 1 Handkerchief
- Mess tin
- Knife-fork-spoon set
- Esbit stove and fuel
- Emergency ration
- Bread and / or biscuits.
- Dry ration*
* = stored inside the mess tin.
The rain poncho was stuffed under the flap of the small pack.
The M/44 Uniform: The Uniform was a redevelopment of the uniform issued to DANFORCE (The Danish exile army in Sweden, 1943-45). Based on the British battledress the uniform had a distinct British look.
The first runs had a more "dark-brown" colour and buttons were made of a brass alloy. Later versions had a more karkee-yellow colour and were issued with brown plastic buttons.
Photos
The below photos are a representation of how the LBE was intended to be put together according to the 1950 manual. However, period photos suggest that the equipment was put together in a myriad of ways - often to the detrement of the individual parts (since the wear and tear from being put together in an incorrect way was considerable).
NB: The aluminium "butterfly" (Dobbeltspænde M/57) is a small anachronism. The piece was originally not part of the M/45-50 equipment. It is part of the Oppakningssystem M/45-59 (also known as Oppakningssystem M/59, according to the 1962 manual).
(Remember that it is possible to enlarge the below photos by clicking them!)
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| M/45-50 Webbing Equipment, front. |
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| M/45-50 Webbing Equipment, rear. |
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| M/45-50 Webbing Equipment, M/44 Uniform and all the small bits and pieces that went into the packs. |
1: Garrison cap, M/44.
2: M/44 Uniform and tie.
3: Boots.
4: M/49 Gas mask.
5: Knife, fork, spoon and cover.
6: Cover for the mess tin and heater.
7: Mess tin, water bottle, and cup.
8: "Housewife" and boot polish cover.
9: Emergency rations.
10: Small pack (F1 / paksæk).
11: Universal pouch.
12: Entrenching tool and cover (US made, altered to fit British style belts).
13: Carrier for the Mk. II Lightweight Respirator. In Danish service altered to fit the belt vertically.
14: Water bottle carrier.
15: Camouflage net and scabbard for the US bayonet (Garand).
16: Bayonet. Many of the Danish bayonets were made in Italy.
17: M/44 trousers.
18: Anklets / gaiters.
19: World War Two vintage M1 helmet with Danish helmet net and new liner produced in Denmark.
