WWII M1936 Pistol Belt ("S.F.CO. Inc. 1942") Mint Unissued NOS for Sale

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WWII M1936 Pistol Belt ("S.F.CO. Inc. 1942") Mint Unissued NOS For Sale

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WWII M1936 Pistol Belt ("S.F.CO. Inc. 1942") Mint Unissued NOS:
$55.00

WWII M1936 Pistol Belt ("S.F.CO., Inc. 1942")Mint Unissued NOS
Handsome early-war example in unworn condition! Despite this belt being an Army contract article, these were issued to the USMC as well as the Army as the Marine Corps rapidly expanded to 6 divisions, outstripping the ability of the Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot's and USMC contractors' to supply specifically marked USMC gear. + Boldly stamped on the exterior with the "U.S." surcharge, somewhat misaligned, and on the inside with the contractor's data (upside down as was often the case with web gear from the S. Froehlich Co., Inc. of New York City) in serif font:S.F. CO., Inc.1942These features distinguish Froehlich contracts! Froehlich was 'famous' for the almost haphazard manner in which they applied the printing on their web gear, rarely aligning the lettering with the rows of ribs of belts, often printing the company's name upside down! This belt is no exception, making it 100% typical for Froehlich. Additionally they stamped the company's name in a variety of ways, sometimes, spelling out the name, sometimes using only initials "S.F.", sometimes eliminating the "Inc." Sometimes the letters "N.Y.C." are included, and other times left off, even on pieces of equipment where room would have allowed their inclusion! Sometimes on gear dated '1944' the entire "Contract No." is printed out on a separate line beneath the company's name, and other times not.
+ The S. Froehlich Co., Inc. was a major supplier of USMC contracts for web gear and is very desirable contractor.
+ Light Shade OD#3 webbing.+ ZERO cuts, fraying, stains, or personalized markings to the webbing. This example has never been worn or 'adjusted' in its 82 years, but appears to have sat out the war on a Depot shelf despite being available for issue for ALL of the campaigns in the North Africa, Mediterranean, Europe, and the Pacific!
+ Welded 'keepers.'+ Reinforced "webbed' female portion of the painted steel (or alloy) Buckle.This is a very early appearance, 1942, of this feature
+ Excellent blackened finish on the brass Eyelets, the two Keepers, the Glove Snap for the Magazine Pouch, the steel (or alloy) Buckle, and the brass "Clawed" End Piece.*****S. Froehlich Co., Inc.
Little is known of this famous New York City supplier of USMC and Army belts, magazine pouches, musette bags, suspenders, leather-faced "money belts," and even leather goods (such as rifle scabbards) during WWII. But S. (Sam) Froehlich is suspected to be the either the son or close relative of Henry Froehlich who had a women's garment business (blouses or 'waists' and dresses) in New York City in the late 19th and early 20th C. It would make sense that there was a family relationship of men of the same surname dealing with the manufacture of clothing.
Froehlich & Hartman was a partnership between Henry Froehlich (1874-?) and Albert Charles Hartman (1883-?). Froehlich was born in Newark, N. J. 21 April 1874. He was in business with George H. Hughes (1866-?) to manufacture waists (blouses) from around 1910. This partnership lasted about three years. By 1913/14 Froehlich had his own company, Henry Froehlich Inc..
In 1916/17 this company moved to 37 W. 37th St., where by 1918 he was joined by Albert Hartman. The firm name changed to Froehlich & Hartman in 1919 (New York Times, 10 Jan. 1919, p. 20). In 1922 they left 37 W. 37th and moved to 36 E. 31st St. where they were in business until around 1924. Albert Hartman was born 19 Oct. 1883 in New York City. He left blouse manufacture in the 1930s, and became president of Gold Label Frocks, a dress manufacturer. From 1935 to 1937 he had his own company, Al Hartman Inc. Dresses at 1400 Broadway. In 1942 he registered for the World War II draft when employed at Louis Platt, Inc. Dresses. Louis Platt was in business approximately, from 1940 to 1949 at 1375 Broadway.