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| History of the Barrack Bag | |||
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| Barrack Bags, WWI to 1946 Barrack Bags have a long history with the U.S. Army in the early and mid 20th Century as the iconic cylindrical luggage of the Doughboy or GI. Initially constructed of brown denim or canvas (designated M1896) barrack bags were changed to bleach white denim (designated M1905) and then unbleached, or common, blue denim while maintaining designated M19051. Barrack bags of this era featured a brass grommet to reinforce the two openings in the cord sleeve, however, this feature was dropped with the introduction of the Bag, Barrack, M1929 in order to save on metal and simplify production. Grommets in the M1905 were also prone to being pulled out of the bag entirely. During the 1918 mass mobilization, some contractors substituted a flat sewn scrap denim for the cotton cord drawstring in order to utilize as much fall off as they could2. While the stockpiles of M1905 Bags were issued until exhausted well into WWII, the M1929 was the official standard issue clothing and equipage bag for all enlistees until the introduction of the Bag, Barrack, OD in early 1942. This was then supplemented by the Bag, Barrack, OD, Water Repellent that same year. The Quartermaster Corps further utilized military stocks of M1905 and M1929 barrack bags by supplying thousands to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC’s) during the Depression3. When the United States Army entered WWII in late 1941, the M1929 Barrack Bag remained the standard issue carryall for enlisted personnel. 1941 Army Regulations Circular 85 denotes that enlistees are given 1 barrack bag at reception centers per 1941 Table of Allowances4. Allowances for transfers after assignments or overseas shipments remained the “…reception center issue [of] 1 bag…”5 as the field equipment, blankets and issue personal gear were to be carried in the 1910/28 Haversack or M1936 Field (Mussette) Bag. With the first printing of 1942 Army Regulation 300 series and 1942 T/E: Infantry (the default equipment assignment for members of the non-combat arms armed “…with pistol…”)6 each new enlistee was issued 2 barrack bags upon reception and existing enlistees were given an additional bag. New marking regulation changes were published to account for the extra bag denoting each be marked either A or B7. Officially, the Barrack Bag was replaced by the Bag, Duffle in 1943 for all enlistees going overseas, but the tens of thousands of existing barrack bags at reception centers, replacement centers and in overseas stocks were issued in lieu of the duffle bag until exhausted. While duffle bags were certainly present in theater zones across the globe as early as mid 1943, the barrack bags A and B were the iconic transportation containers for American troops during WWII and were still standardized for issue and subsequent marking in the Reception Center Operations Manual of 19448. Bag, Barrack, OD remained on the table of allowances for all theater troops and “…redeployable troops…” even into 1945 as a supplementary laundry bag9 . However, in the Quartermaster Redeployment Plan of May 31, 1945, the Barrack Bag is removed from the mandatory equipage list for all troops and “…if barrack bags were authorized, they would be carried inside duffle bags…”10. 1
Gordon, D., H. Otoupalik, P. Schulty World War One Collectors Handbook,
Vol. I & II (Montana: Hayes Our most common question related to barracks bags:
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