M-1910 Aluminum Canteen (1950s)

The WW I contract canteens continued in use into the 1940s, the early days of WW II. Beginning in 1942, canteens were manufactured from alternate materials, particularly stainless steel canteens, to substitute for scarce aluminum needed for aircraft. In late 1942, aluminum was released by the War Production Board for the manufacture of canteens. The first aluminum canteens produced after the ban was lifted were manufactured by companies that had been involved with manufacture of the 1942 corrosive resistant steel (CRS) canteen and were therefore produced with a horizontal seam. The more traditional welded aluminum canteen with the side seam went back into production beginning in 1943.

The aluminum canteen cap was replaced with a black resin plastic (Bakelite) cap with a cork disk seal, beginning in 1942. The new cap was initially 3/4 inches high and flat on top. Beginning in 1943, the cap was redesigned as one inch high, a slightly smaller diameter, and with a recessed top to protect the chain rivet.

WW II vintage aluminum canteens will have a dull finish, and will be marked with US, the manufacturer’s initials, and the year of production. According to records, the World War II manufacturers of M-1910 aluminum canteens (Stock Number 74-C-80) include:

  • Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Co. (later Mirro) (AGM Co.)
  • Aluminum Products Co. (AP Co.)
  • Buckeye Aluminum Co. (BA Co.)
  • Geuder, Paeschke, Frey Co. (GP&F Co.)
  • Landers, Frary & Clark (L F & C)
  • Massilion Aluminum Co. [MA Co.]
  • Republic Stamping and Enameling Co. (R.S.E.)
  • Southeastern Metals Co. (S.M.Co)
  • The Aluminum Cooking Utensil Co. [TACU]

Following World War II, aluminum and CRS canteens continued in use. In 1951, Mirro Corp. (formerly AGM) produced an aluminum canteen in a slightly larger size (950cc) for use in the Korean War. It was produced from 1951 to 1954, and again from 1962 to 1963, the last of the M-1910 production canteens.

In the last years of the aluminum water canteen, it was identified by FSN 8465-191-0366 (NSN 8465-00-191-0366) for the aluminum canteen without cup and cover. Although the nomenclature specified aluminum, CRS canteens were also issued under this FSN/NSN. These canteens remained in the supply system for decades after formal replacement in 1962 by the one quart olive drab polyethylene canteen.

 

Source: Olive-Drab.com

 

Stock Number Reference:

Canteen, Water, M-1910

FSN: 8465-191-0366

Assign Date: Unknown

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