D-Day P3
M1926 Invasion Belt
The M1926 inflatable floatation belt was used as a life preserver by assault troops during amphibious actions and beach landings.
The belt was inflated by squeezing two switches located inside the belt, which activated two CO2 bottles. If the CO2 bottles failed, the belt could still be inflated by blowing into the rubber covered pipes.
M-1923 Cartridge Belt
Officially designated the “Belt, Cartridge, Cal .30, Dismounted, M-1923”, it was originally adopted when stocks of the M-1910 belt were exhausted after World War I. The belt was designed as part of the infantryman’s load carrying system, anchoring the M-1910 haversack and later the M-1928 infantry pack. It has ten pockets for clips of .30-caliber ammunition for the M1903 Springfield, M-1917 Enfield, and later M1 Garand rifle.
The M1903 and M1917 rifles using 5 round stripper clips (two per pocket, total of 100 rounds) while the M1 Garand used a single eight shot clip per pocket (total 80 rounds).
