WWII USMC Australian-made 1943 Blanket (\"V98\") 1st MAR DIV. Named. Near Mint+++ For Sale

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WWII USMC Australian-made 1943 Blanket (\"V98\") 1st MAR DIV. Named. Near Mint+++:
$169.00

WWIIUSMC Australian Army-issue Blanket, (“V98 MADE IN AUSTRALIA 1943”) asissued to the 1stMAR. DIV. andcarried in the Pacific Campaigns following Guadalcanal,completewith a 1943-dated ContractTag and Named!!!

RARE!CONDITION! RARE! CONDITION! RARE! CONDITION!

\"NEAR MINT+++\" condition!

+SUPERBEND-BINDING STITCHING!! ZERO BREAKS!!

+SUPERB“1943”INTACT TAG consonantwith the 1stMAR DIV’s arrival!!

+SUPERBCONDITION!! ZERO HOLES or FRAYING. ZERO MAJOR STAINS.

+ NAMED. Neatly stamped on the Contract Tad to a Marine or an Aussie \'Digger,\'

John F. Martin

Whenthe 1stMarine Division leftGuadalcanal, much equipment, such as bedding was left behind on thewharvesas the 1st Division Marinesthemselves loaded their transports. Consequently,once settled in Melbourne,the 1stMARDIV,more than any other MarineDivision, wasissued a large amount of Army contract equipment, as well asAustralian-manufactured and issued equipment, such as theseBlue-stripedAustralian Army Blankets.(See pp. 76-77 of Harlan Glenn\'s excellent reference work,\"782GEAR\": United States Marine Corps Field Gear & Equipment ofWorld War II forphotos and discussion.).AdditionallyU.S. Army troops rotating through Australia also acquired items ofAustralian issue, as did liberated Allied POWsofthe Japanese from the China-Burma-Indiatheater,some of whom were routed through Australia.

HISTORY:

These grayAustralian Army Blankets acquired in Melbourne would have carried into action in Eastern New Guinea and New Britain at CAPE GLOUCSTER; Pavavu in the Russell Islands for refitting; PELELIU with the III Amphibious Corps in the bitter combat of \"Bloody Nose Ridge\" of the \"Umurbrogol Pocket\" against the 14th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army (I.J.A.), that cost 1,252 Marine dead and 5,274 Marine wounded; and the bloodiest amphibious land-sea operation of the war: OKINAWA as part of the III Amphibious Corps beside the Army\'s 27th Infantry Division, fighting the dug-in 32nd Army (I.J.A.) at places such as \"Sugarloaf Hill\" and Shuri Castle that cost 1,655 Marine lives.

PARTICULARSOF CONDITION:

-ZEROodors, fading, holes, mothbites/tracking, snags, or \"stretched out\" borders!!

- On one side, there is a line of three very faint light tan-colored SPOTS, each about 1/2\" in diameter. Whether they will come out with dry cleaning I do not know.

-The crimson red yarn Blanket-stitched EDGEBINDING is completelyINTACT!

-DIMENSIONS:82\" x 53\"

-This is a handsome, thick piece of felted GRAYWool with three broad ROYALBLUE WovenStripes that run the length of the Blanket. The quality of thisAustralian wool is unrivaled!

(Mostofthe othermilitaryservicesof the world, includingours duringboth WWI and WWII, madetheir blankets of a less expensive mix of wool and lesser fibers.)

-The Blanket-Stitched ENDBINDINGSare typically done with a Red/Crimson/Salmoncoloredyarn (or very occasionally with a Silver/White,orRoyalBlue, or Olive Drab yarn).

-The silk-embroidered cottonCONTRACTTAG (1-3/4\" x 1-1/2\")is still intact and stitched on the lower right corner! The blacksilkembroidered letteringon the white fabric reads:

V98

MADEIN AUSTRALIA

1943

REGARDINGTHE MARKINGS:

Atsome point in 1942the several woolen mills awarded contracts for the manufacture ofBlankets (and other equipment) for Australia\'s War Department ceased using the company\'sname on Contract Tags (e.g. \"JOHNVICARS & CO. PTY. LTD., MARRICKVILLE. 1941\")and an \"alphabetic-numeric code\" was introduced. The LETTERprefixesthat have been seen on these Australian Army Blankets and Equipment(e.g. uniforms, puttees, shoes, web gear) are \'N,\'\'V,\' \'S,\' \'Q,\' \'T,\' \'W,\' and \'M.TX,\' thelatter for \"MelbourneTextiles.\"

*****

1942-datedBlankets have been found with the following mill name, code, andcolored yarn for the blanket stitching:

--CHALLENGEWOOLEN MILLS (red binding yarn)

--V87 (olive drab binding yarn).

1943-datedAustralian Blankets are found with the following codesandcolored yarns for the blanket stitching:

-- This one, V98 (red); V155(red);V521 (red); V205 (salmon);V239 (white); N85 (red); N471 (redbinding yarn).

1944-datedAustralian Blankets are found with the following codes and coloredyarns for the blanket stitching:

--V155 (salmon); V239 (red); V98 (red); V183 (red); V325 (red); V325(white);V374 (white); N85 (red);V87(blue binding yarn).

*****

REVERSE LEND-LEASEand AUSTRALIA (from WAR HISTORY, April 26, 2018)

In return for lend-leaseaid, Allied nations were to provide goods or services to the UnitedStates under a program known as reverse or reciprocallend-lease. In some areas, the United States governmentappropriated 99-year leases on strategic naval bases. In others, thereceiving nation supplied wheat or manufactured goods such asaircraft engines.

As of late 1944, Australiahad provided US troops with almost three million kilograms of food,as well as BLANKETS, socks, shoes and speciallymanufactured articles of US issue military clothing. Australia’sAllied Works Council was established to help build USbarracks, airfields, hospitals and recreational centers. Australianindustry provided locally designed and built Landing Craft, motortransport, telephone and telegraph facilities, and numerous othergoods and services to the United States under reciprocal lend-lease.As of June 30, 1944, Australia had spent approximately US$550 millionon reciprocal lend-lease. In all, the United States received fromAustralia more reciprocal lend-lease supplies than it had supplied toAustralia under lend-lease.

*****

Richard B. Frank April2010, Naval History

Departure from Guadalcanal brought the 1stMarine Division to General Douglas MacArthur\'s SouthwestPacific Area. Initially the exhausted division was routed toBrisbane, Australia. \"Don\'t call it a camp,\" railed onebattalion commander. \"Just say we were dispersed in a swamp.\"General Vandegrift dispatched staff officers forthwith to scout for abetter location. They found the ideal tonic for the division:Melbourne, located in cool, mosquito-free southeastern Australia.When the transport USS West Point (AP-23)delivered the division there on 12 January 1943, the Melbournepopulation embraced the Marines in a tumultuous reception.

In the first weeks,malaria laid low as many as 7,000 men. While that was the greatestscourge, the bodies of most men further served as involuntaryplaygrounds for a host of other jungle diseases. Bone-deep wearinessand weight loss also figured prominently in the division\'s ills. Ittook weeks of rest in the salubrious climate as well as infusions ofsuppressive drugs to tame malaria and the other afflictions that hadwrecked the division\'s combat readiness.

For the majority of theMarines, still extremely youthful by age but now matured beyond theiryears in experience, Guadalcanal radically dimmed out memories oftheir recent past. With its wide and lighted streets, trolleys, cars,bars, hotels, houses, and above all warm and exuberant populationthat greeted them as the \"saviors of Australia,\" beautifulMelbourne presented an idealized version of life without war. Thelocals literally opened their houses to provide anyone who desiredhis own home with family life instead of a billet. Most Marines alsoentertained aspirations for companionship beyond domestictranquility. They found the Australian girls alluring, and romancesflourished. \"There were many engagements and a few marriages,\"deadpanned the division historian.

One of Melbourne\'sdistinctions when the Marines arrived was the scarcity of otherservicemen. That changed when the fabled 9th Australian Division,veterans of the battles of Tobruk and El Alamein in North Africa,staged through Melbourne en route to further combat on New Guinea.After a number of pub brawls, the Leathernecks staged a joint beerparty that brought peace for its time between the members of the twohard-fighting units.

Training for the 1stMarine Division\'s next operation began as early as 18 January butinitially moved at a very modest pace. The highlight of the firstphase was acquainting the Leathernecks with the M-1 rifle. Despitemuch nostalgia for the M1903 Springfield, the M-1 offeredmuch-superior firepower. Between March and May, training progressedto small-unit tactics and then landing exercises. An Army team thatinspected the division in August 1943 concluded that it \"is wellequipped, has a high morale, a splendid spirit and approximately 75%of its personnel have had combat experience. The average age of itsenlisted personnel is well below that in Army Divisions.\" Thereport further observed the division\'s key leadership officers fromcompany level up and the vital NCOs were overwhelmingly combat savvy.

The division shipped outof Melbourne in stages between August and October 1943. There is oneunmistakably true measure of what Melbourne meant to the division.For a year after departure, the 1st Marine Division postmasternoted more outgoing mail went to Melbourne than to the United States.Some relationships between Marines and their hosts would endure alifetime.

*****

During World War II, the Marines of “the OldBreed,” the 1st Marine Division, famously began thefirst Allied offensive against Japan in the Pacific at Guadalcanal.Armed with old Springfield M1903 rifles and meager stores of food andammunition, the Marines wrested control of the island from Japan injust over six months, earning them their first of three PresidentialUnit Citations in WWII and a well-deserved rest in Australia.

Say “no” to Bull Halsey. See what happens.

After the months of fighting and privation, theMarines were looking worse for wear. Sick from dysentery and weak,the men were just worn out. When they first docked in Brisbane, theywere housed in what amounted to a series of shacks in swampland.

When the Marines’ commander, General AlexanderVandegrift, ordered that the entire division be moved, the Navy toldhim there was no way to spare the number of ships needed — and theyhad nowhere to go, anyway. That’s where Admiral William “Bull”Halsey and the city of Melbourne came in. Australia’ssecond-largest city offered to take them with open arms and Halseywould get them there.

Camps of already-pitched tents and bunks were waitingfor them as they landed in Melbourne. The sick and wounded weretransferred to a newly-finished hospital in nearby Parkville and therest were given unlimited liberty for the next 90 full days. Oneaccount says the citizens of Melbourne opened their homes to theMarines. It was a mutual love affair for the guys who left theirhomes in the U.S. to fight with and for the Aussies.

On George Washington’s birthday, Feb. 22, 1943, theMarines marched a parade through Melbourne. During this parade, the1st Marine Division Band decided to play the Australian folkfavorite, Waltzing Matilda. The Australian onlookersloved it and cheered loudly for the procession.

Thus began the love affair between the 1st MarineDivision and Australia.

When winter came, the Australians even gave theMarines their winter jackets, which were soon adopted by the USMCuniform board (no small feat). This is also where 1st MarineDivision’s now-famous blue diamond patch was designed. Asidefrom the red “one” and “Guadalcanal” markings, the patch alsofeatures the constellation Southern Cross, which is a symbol ofAustralia.

Every camp set up by the 1st Marine Divisionis called “Matilda.”

The Australians were jubilant for the Marines’victory on Guadalcanal. It was bad news for the Japanese who hadinvaded nearby Papua New Guinea, an Australian protectorate. Aftertheir rest, the Marines’ next move prevented the Imperial JapaneseNavy from invading mainland Australia by taking the war to them yetagain, invading New Guinea via Cape Gloucester.

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