Category: World War Two

World War II is an area that I enjoy studying and learning about. When I was younger, I did a lot of WW2 Reenacting and attended lots of different events across the East Coast, portraying mostly a US Infantry impression like Signal Corps Lineman (with the 33rd Signal Construction Battalion), 5th Ranger, 88th Infantry Division Rifleman, 3rd Infantry Division Rifleman, and 82nd Airborne Paratrooper (which is hilarious because I don’t like heights and aint no way I’m jumping out of a perfectly good airplane).

In my research for my impression, I came across lots of different resources that I wanted to share with you, such as my 78 Records series, The SCR-300 Radio, Pens for the World War II Reenactor, Zippos, Civilian Glassware, and much more!

I’ve slowed down a lot as I’ve aged, so I don’t attend as many events as I would like. Hopefully, that will change!

Posted on June 13, 2025July 18, 2025 by Pat Costa

WW2 Men’s Magazines

During World War II, US GIs had access to a variety of pin-up style men’s magazines, often referred to as “cheesecake”. The artwork might be drawings of girls or actual photos of models posing in a variety of burlesque, bespoke, and suggestive poses or scenes. These magazines were considered “pulp,” meaning cheap and disposable.

They rarely showed nudity in any mass-market commercial product, but a few like Gay Life (gay as in happy; produced from 1933?-1939? – link takes you to a magazine example with nudity) did. How this got around the Comstock Act, is anyone’s guess.

Some famous pin-up artists include Peter Driben, Alberto Vargas, George Petty, Vaughan Alden Bass, Al Buell, Earl Morgan, Billy De Vorrs (or De Vorss), and Gil Elvgren.

Some producers of Men’s Magazines include Robert Harrison, Brown and Bigelow, and Louis F Dow Co. (which was a calendar company)

Different magazines focused on different things, such as sadomasochism, “photostories” (which conceptually was created by Robert Harrison and consisted of scantilly clad girls doing routine things like moving furniture over 2-4 pages), interviews, violence/crime, gossip, humor, adventure/mystery/western/detective stories, breaking news type stories, celebrity scandal, and expose/investigative journalism, bawdy stories, letters from readers etc, but they all included a hefty dose of girls and content that appeal to the male gaze.

This article doesn’t purport to be a historical review of “Pin-Ups”; however, for a historical and academic discussion, see the Construction of the Pin-up Girl in US History.

The list below isn’t exhaustive, but only shows some representative examples. For a larger index of Men’s Magazines, see: Index of Men’s Magazines. For a general discussion of pulp magazines, Pulp International (link contains nudity) does a good job.

As in every industry, once someone figures out a winning formula, copycats come out. So, many of these magazines appear similar but are produced by different companies.

Suppose you want to think about the progression of “Girlie Mags that appeal to Men” on a timeline. In that case, it starts in the 1870s with dances like burlesque, belly dancing (especially with Fahreda Mazar aka Little Egypt), and striptease acts by the 1900s. As pulp magazines and film come around by the 1920s it’s “good looking girls” and sex-themed stories, to suggestive/implict in the late 1930s/1940s, to explicit but artistic in the 1950s (with the birth of Playboy and Marilyn Monroe posing nude), to explict nudie and sex films (think 1970s New York Times peep shows; and Deep Throat (film; link goes to wiki article), to mass market and commericalized pornography for porn’s sake in the 1980/1990s without any redeming artistic value. Each sort of decade has had US Supreme Court cases that begin to loosen standards, along with social and technological changes leading us to whatever it is we have now.

For a look at World War Two Civilian Magazines and Newspapers, check out the link.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Some of the magazines contain stereotypes of women, ethnic/racial stereotypes, implicit violence, non-consensual situations, sexual harassment, and other sexist attitudes that are objectively wrong by today’s standards. The author of this post rejects all of this and offers the information below for historical purposes to exemplify an aspect of World War II material culture.

World War 1 Era Magazines

Snappy Stories – Aug 1912 to 1933/1934. For a historical review, see Snappy Stories. For historical context, see: Viña Delmar, Flapper Fiction, and Snappy Stories Magazine.

Its name changed to Snappy Stories and Pictures in 1927.

For an example, see this March 4th, 1916 edition.

The Parisienne – Jul-1915 – Aug-1915. Then from Sep 1915 to Feb 1921, as The Parisienne Monthly Magazine. Then from March 1921 to June 1921, as The New Parisienne Monthly Magazine. Then from July 1921 to April 1922, as The Follies. Finally, from May 1922 to July 1922, as Fascinating Fiction.

Originally named to help ride the wave of French propaganda coming ashore in the US amid WW1.

Gheesh, talk about a rebranding problem.

Breezy Stories or Breezy Stories and Young’s Magazine – The twin titles reflect periods where the publishers would oscillate between the two. Produced between Sept 1915 to Sept 1949.

See this Breezy Stories March 1916 as an example.

Saucy Stories – Aug 1916 to May 1925. Then renamed Heart to Heart Stories from June 1925 to July 1925. Likely ceased publication in the mid to late 1920s.

1920s and 1930s Men’s Magazines

Spicy Stories – From Dec 1928 (Vol 1 No 1) to Oct 1928.

The magazine company Culture Publications was then pressured to “clean up” and introduced Spicy Detective, Spicy Adventure Stories, Spicy Western Stories, and Spicy Mystery Stories in the mid-1930s. The magazines augmented the sex appeal to include different kinds of stories to tamp down criticism.

The “Spicy” brand of magazines became very popular. For example, see this Sept 1936 edition.

Dec-1928 – 1930? The King Publishing Co., Dover, Delaware, produced it. In 1933, Merwil Publishing Co., Inc., 480 Lexington Ave., New York City, produced it. Publication lasted until the late 1930s and likely couldn’t translate into the “pin-up” era.

Other Pre-War magazines include: Paris Nights, Pep Stories, Ginger Stories, and Broadway Nights. For a review of popular “girlie pulp” magazines, see The Birth of the Girlie Pulp and 12 examples of Girlie Pulp.

Allure Magazine – Produced from July 1937 (Vol 1, No 1) to Sept 1937 by Yorkhouse Publications, 404 North Wesley Ave., Mt. Morris, Ill.

High Heel – Produced by Silk Stocking (Ultem Publications) between April 1937 (Vol 1, No 1) to 1939?

Silk Stocking – Probably starts in Sept/Oct/Nov 1936, (Vol 1 No 1). First called Silk Stocking Revue (Dec 1936), then changed to Silk Stocking Stories. Ended in 1939.

World War II Era Men’s Magazines

Beauty Parade: This was produced between October 1941 to February 1956 by Robert Harrison. It was one of the first magazines to capitalize on the “Pin-up” craze. He then went on to create Titter, Wink, Flirt, and Eyeful. See the Vol 7 No 3 1948 edition.

Titter: This was produced from Aug 1943 to April 1955 by Robert Harrison. Made famous due to a Band of Brothers, an HBO series, scene. The magazine is 8.5 wide and 11.5 high.

For an example of a post-war copy, see: Titter 1949 Vol 6 No 2.

Wink: This was produced between Summer 1944 to 1955 by Robert Harrison. For a full copy, see Wink Dec 1947.

Eyeful: This was produced between March 1943 to April 1955 by Robert Harrison. Later editions featured Bettie Page. It likely featured all of the popular burlesque, pinup, and stripper models in New York at the time. For a humorous analysis of the April 1949 magazine.

Jessica Rogers (the inspiration for Jessica Rabbit in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit) was a model/dancer and posed for the magazine?

Giggles: Produced between 1943 to 1946.

Joker: Produced between Spring 1942 to? by Comedy Publications (which had the same Dunellen, NJ business address as Timely/Marvel publishing). Consists of pin-up girls and humorous cartoons. Interestingly, some of Marvel Comics’ illustrators would moonlight under different names for this magazine firm, as it was more adult.

Cutie – May-1944 to Oct-1946. The image is the last edition. A copy of Titter.

The Stocking Parade – Produced from July 1937 (Vol 1, No 1) to June 1943 by Arrow Publications.

Carnival – May 1939 to Jan 1940? It then combined with Show from June 1940 to November 1942 as Carnival Combined with Show (which is just objectively a bad name).

Laff – 1940 to probably the mid to late 1950s by Volitant Publishing. A humorous magazine. For a page-by-page breakdown, see Laff Magazine, Oct 1945. Marilyn Monroe (going by her name, Norma Jean, but misidentified as Jean Norman) was the cover model in the Aug 1946 edition.

This is a great write-up on Adrian Lopez, who created the magazine and went on to build an empire of bulk periodicals.

Marilyn Monroe as the cover photo for the magazine. However, they misspelled her name as Jean Norman.

Gags – 1941 to 1942 by Triangle Publications. A copycat of Laff. The black dot that appears on the cover appears throughout the magazine and is a running joke.

You can download the full copies below. Size is 10 1/2-in. x 13 1/2-in and printed on cheap newspaper print.

Another example is called What’s Cookin! Which was made by the Comic Corporation of America, probably between 1942 to at least 1943. Same concept as Laff. You can view the Vol 1 No 7 Nov 1943 version here.

Post World War II Men’s Magazines

Flirt: This was produced between 1947 to 1955 by Robert Harrison. A pin-up style magazine with “photostories”, jokes, and men’s humor. You can review the Aug 1953 version here.

Confidential: This was produced between November/Dec 1952 to Aug 1958 by Robert Harrison. It was Robert Harrison’s best publication and focused on a lot of scandals, and is kind of a tabloid magazine. The decline of his WW2 “pin-up” magazines and his refusal to do full frontal nudity spreads led him to create this one. Though, he was eventually sued and forced to sell it. It continued publication until 1978.

Whisper: This was produced between April 1946 to probably 1958 by Robert Harrison. It consists of recycled stories from Confidential.

Glance – 1948-1952 by Cape Magazine.

Showgirls – Produced only from 1947 to 1948 by Your Guide Publications. For Vol 1 No 3 from July 1947, see this link.

Cover Girl Models – 1949-1955 by Models Publishing Co

Vue – 1950s to ? The image shows Marilyn Monroe in the August 1952, January 1955, and August 1955 editions.

The Korean War

G-Eyefuls: A Manual of Arms and Legs – By Bill Boltin 1951. A pin-up style book marketed towards soldiers in the Korean War. Burlesque queen Lili St. Cyr appears twice.

You can download the full copy here.

Posted on June 6, 2025July 3, 2025 by Pat Costa

Restoring an M1941 Mermite Can Dated 1940

At the start of World War II, the US Army had created, what is essentially a cooler, the M1941 Mermite Can. I won’t go into too much historical discussion of it as the guys at the 90th covered it with their article: Keeping it Cool. However, the model I picked up for $175 in May of 2025 off of Facebook Marketplace has a few unique characteristics.

First off, the cover has a single bar used for closing as opposed to a wired bar on most models. Secondly, the underside says “US JQMD 1940”, which stands for United States Jefferson Quartermaster Depot. Along with a cut in the underside seam, though, I’m unclear if that’s part of the design or if it was damaged. Thirdly, the cover feels like it’s made of tin.

Which, yes, makes it very odd that the model is technically an M1941 but with a date made before.

M1941 Mermite can showing the closing lid bar to be a single metal piece. — Note the green color coming through the white and the cut in the lid in the bottom right of the image

Underside image of the m1941 mermite can showing US JQMD 1940. — Note the green color coming through the white and the cut in the lid in the bottom right of the image

While this isn’t mine, I did come across some old images taken around 2000 that show an M1941 mermite can dated 1935 with the bar lid design that appears to be modified into having a wired bar.

In another example, courtesy of the US Medical History Group, it shows a 1939 dated model. However, on the inside, it lacks the granite wear with the sides appearing to be in. Additionally, the can does come with a gasket, but it’s painted red (that’s the red ring around the lip of the can).

All this supposes my copy is some kind of early variant or prototype? My hunch is that there was some kind of M1935 Mermite can design that then got updated into the M1941. Or the United States Jefferson Quartermaster Depot just internally made a few of these cans for various reasons and purposes (it would explain why the lid is stamped “US JQMD 1940”, rather than a specific contracted firm). Both with tinned internals and with graniteware.

When the war started, they made a few tweaks to the design and sent the M1941 contact for the cans out to companies. Then modified the existing ones to fit the new design.

I say this as most models look like this –

M1941 mermite can showing a wired bar at the top — Courtesy of http://www.90thidpg.us/

When I picked mine up it didn’t dawn on me that the huge hole in the side had asbestos poking through (along with a spider that eventually died for history)

Now, no amount of asbestos is safe, but I do know from owning a home dated 1944, which had asbestos siding, that the major concern is it breaking apart and becoming friable or ground into small pieces that can become airborne.

To fix this, you need to cover it.

The siding in my former home was covered up with metal siding, and to fix this, I first sprayed some water so the particles would get inside the can. This can be used to help tamp down any asbestos that breaks loose and could float out of the hole and into the air.

Next, I used Great Stuff to spray into the hole. It made it look very ugly and not professional, but it did resolve the immediate health concern. I made sure to use gloves, wear a mask and goggles, and junk clothes (for the whole process) that I washed right away (as well as taking a shower when I was done). For such a small task, I didn’t think a full-blown suit was required, as I wasn’t doing asbestos abatement.

Underside of mermite can with great foam being used to patch.

Next, I took some paper towels and a 50:50 vinegar and water solution via a spray bottle and gave the can a wipe down on the outside and inside, and underneath, including the lid.

I then used a green scrub pad and scrubbed the underside of the lid to remove the rust. I also scrubbed the rusted areas on the side and underneath to kind of sand it down, in preparation for being spray-painted.

Next, I turned my attention to the inside. I saw rust spots, and knowing I wanted to use this as a cooler, I bought some food-safe silicone and applied it using my fingers over the rust spots. I gave each rust spot a good coating. This helps ensure that any water that ends up in it won’t further damage the graniteware.

Finally, it was time to paint.

It seems many reenactors and restorers have used a variety of colors to paint the M1941 can. As mine is an older version, I honestly have no clue what color to use and just went with generic olive drab. I don’t think it looks too bad, and if future historians unearth the exact color specs, I’d change it.

I spray-painted the top lid (all sides and underneath) and the can (all sides and underneath). I did leave the inside lip of the can untouched as I wanted to preserve the history of the paint applications over time, which I think there were four.

An original green as shown in the lid (see the above previous picture), a red, a grey, and a white (which is what it looked like when I bought it)

I assure you this is a green olive drab color

I suppose I could have sand-blasted the paint off and primed it, and then painted it, but I didn’t want to take the time to figure out how to do that, and then figure out how to properly dispose of what is likely lead paint particulates/chips. When in fact, this will likely need a new paint job down the road once we figure out what the right color is.

An extra step was adding a rubber gasket. Now, truth be told, I’m not sure if this version had one. However, wartime dated models did. I followed some advice in the G503 forum and bought a rubber gasket, cut it to fit, and then super-glued the ends. The gasket should be 1/4″ wide 3/16″ high, square.

On a whim, I sprayed WD-40 into the various hinges and movable parts to help loosen them up.

After about 3 hours and an extra 50 dollars for supplies, I was done.

Not too thrilled about this but it’s better than having asbestos peek through.

Would I do this again? Considering the rarity of the item, yes. But I would have tried to get it closer to $100 and come prepared to store the can (maybe wrap it in a heavy duty black garbage bag) until I can figure out a more historical solution to patch the holes (maybe some kind of JB Weld?) than scrambling to use Great Stuff.

Items I used

A can of Great Stuff

50 Pack of Nitrile black gloves (went through about 15 pairs as I swapped out frequently)

A plastic spray bottle that held a 50:50 water/vinegar solution

2 rolls of paper towels

Clear Silicone

A pack of green scrub pads

1 can of Olive Drab paint

Rubber Gasket: Square-Profile Oil-Rst Buna-N O-Ring Cord Stock 1/4 Fractional Width, 0.275″ Actual Width, 10 ft. Length from McMaster, # 9700k14

Posted on May 17, 2025July 23, 2025 by Pat Costa

WW2 Signal Corps Impression

This will document my World War II US Army Signal Corps Impression. Now, per Chad Phillips, who is an expert in World War II Signal Corps impressions, research, and documentation in the WW2 Signal Corps Facebook group, indicated that for a basic Lineman and Groundsman Impression, you should have the following –

Lineman:

LC-1 Axe: LC stands for Line Construction, and would say LC-1 on it, and might say “True Temper Kelly Works” or “True Temper Flint Edge”.

Kelly Axe Manufacturing Company produced axes but was bought by American Fork and Hoe in 1930. They then began the True Temper brand of axes. AFH likely kept the name “Kelly Works” on some of the “True Temper” brand of axes. For a look at the 1938 American Fork and Co. catalog, see: True Temper Tools General Catalog 1R.

The LC-1 Axe Handle may be around 18 inches in total length. 2 inches inside the axe head, and 16 inches showing. The handle may have been painted green and installed with a few splits inside the head. The green paint might be a field modification as “load out” images that show all the tools on display; the ax is left unpainted, suggesting the paint came in the field. Indeed, the original ones look glossy black and dark blue.

A close-up of the LC-1 Ax head in this image shows that the handle is painted green. If you wanted to paint it green Krylon 4293 (which seems to be found only at Lowe’s) would be a good color to use. Midwest Military sells a Signal Corps green color, but it’s unclear if it’s the right color green.

The handle likely came in different styles, such as straight. Though images that show items on display show that the handle is slightly curved.

LC-23A and LC-23B belt w/strap [late ’44 date]: Came in two styles. A canvas and a leather version. Also came in multiple sizes. LC-23-A is likely the canvas version. LC-23-B is the leather version. This matches the EEa and EEb phone designs as well.

According to the May 1947 TM 11-372 field manual, the belt is sewn with linen thread and locked-stitched with copper rivets. It’s tested up to 1,500 lbs. The belts come in D-ring sizes of 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30. Size is determined in inches between the D-rings. Comfort with the belt is dependent on the right size in proportion to the hip bone. Each belt also had a safety strap, which was used to wrap around the pole.

To obtain a proper fitting belt, measure the distance across the back between the desired location of the D-rings and order a belt of that size (nearest inch). The punched end of the strap of the body belt is sufficiently long to permit passing around the abdomen of the largest workman. When this length of strap is not required, it can be shortened by cutting off the excess end without impairing the safety factor. Safety straps are furnished in 61-inch, 68-inch, and 70-inch lengths. When suitable, the short strap should be ordered.

Body Belts and Safety Straps for the LC-23 A and B

LC-5 Climbers: The spikes are called gaffs. Included with the climbers are a leather strap and a coarse cloth square pad.

They came in multiple sizes, see the notes section of the image below, which describes the sizes for the LC-23 belt and the LC-5 climbers.

According to the May 1947 TM 11-372 field manual, they are measured from the bottom of the stirrup to the upper end of the leg iron. To determine the correct size of climber to fit the wearer, measure the distance from the bottom of the projecting knee bone to the underside of the shoe at the arch, as shown in the figures below, and subtract .5 inches.

Don’t wear the climbers unless needed, and be sure the gaff (the pointy part of the LC-5 climbers) is maintained well to dig into the wooden pole.

Prior to LC-5, there were two other LC climbers: an LC-6, which was 16″, and the LC-7 was 17″. When LC-5 came out, it superseded both of these climbers as it came out in various sizes, thus negating the need for a specific size-based model.

Note that the straps around the LC-5 climbers are made of leather and go through a square pad, which secures them to the upper calf and prevents chaffing.

One thing to keep in mind when looking at the LC-5 Climbers is that there are two types. One for pole climbing and one for tree climbing. Each crew had a set of tree climbers, which appear to be just some kind of commercial tree spikes. These tree spikes appear to have no designated catalog number. You can tell they are tree spikes because the gaff is much longer for digging into the meat of the tree.

Pulled from the WW2 Signal Corps Facebook Group

SAFETY: Do not use original LC-23 belts or LC-5 leather straps and calf pads for climbing more than a few feet off the ground. It’s fine to wear to show the public or provide a demonstration where you climb up a wooden pole a few feet off the ground. However, you should not rely on almost 100-year-old equipment to support your weight more than a yard up. For the LC-5 straps and calf pads, you can buy modern versions and use those (or as close as you can get). For the LC-23 belt, nobody that I am aware of reproduces them. So you need to convert a modern one, as best as you can, to a WW2 version, or contract with someone to reproduce them.

LC-24 Twisting Plier, also called a Clamp: Used to crimp, twist, and splice wire.

TL 107 Pliers, 8″: 8in in length, straight nose, steel.

TL-106 Screwdriver: The screwdriver is similar to the Stanley 1934 # 25 driver. It had a 10-inch blade with a 3/8ths tip and 17in overall length. In 1934, it cost .85 cents.

Note that some screwdrivers might say “Forval” on the handle. This appears to be a French-made screwdriver. It’s unclear if this is a post-WW2 production or if the US Govt contracted with French companies after D-Day to produce these, which would make them “wartime dated”.

Additional images of the TL-106 Screwdriver can be found on Worthpoint here and here.

LC-25-A Lineman Wrench: The LC-25-A Wrench was used to secure cross beams to telephone poles. It differs from the LC-25 wrench. See the “load out” images towards the bottom for the differences in appearance.

LC-29 Gloves, Rubber: This was not part of TE-21 but something they likely kept on hand. Black in color. Likely worn under the leather gloves for working with exposed lines, as rubber is an electrical insulator. It came in three different sizes, I believe.

LC-29 Gloves, Leather: It’s unclear to me if the gloves below are World War II vintage, but I suspect the gloves looked similar

TL-144 Gaff Gauge: Used to measure the spikes on the climbers. This was not part of TE-21 but something they likely kept on hand. It may have come in a few different designs as shown below. However, neither design shows any kind of cut in the base/short reference line area.

From FM 24-5 Signal Communication Oct 1942, pg. 208. The word “gage” is likely a misspelling.

Lineman’s equipment TE-21: When laid out looked like this. I suspect some of this stuff was traded off between the guy on the pole and the guy on the ground. Also, the image might be a post-war one, as the Hammer, HM-1, isn’t listed. Instead, a TL-39 Hammer is listed.

Via RadioNerds; A display “load-out” type image

From TM 11-487 Oct 1944, pg 144. Shows the equipment for TE 21, TE 23, and TE 27a. I suspect that many of the tools were interchangeable on the job site.

Linemans Equipment TE-21 — Post War Lineman’s Equipment TE-21 March 1951 via TM 11-487B; A display load out type image

A display “load-out” type image. This is probably a later image because the LC-25-A Lineman Wrench appears

Lineman’s Equipment TE-21 “load out” type image. This is an earlier one because it shows the LC-25 Lineman Wrench.

Groundman’s Equipment:

LC-23 belt w/o strap [late ’44 date]:

LC-10 Gloves, Leather:

HM-1 Hammer, 2lb: This is a double-faced engineer’s hammer with a 16-inch handle and a weight of 2 pounds.

Now, according to the May 1947 TM 11-372 field manual, the HM-1 hammer is also called a Lineman’s Hammer and is 2.5 lbs and 15 inches in overall length. I guess that some “bean counter” must have mis-measured it, and it’s the HM-1. There’s also a TL-39 Hammer, which is the Claw Hammer. Though I’m unsure why they used the TL “Tool” nomenclature rather than the HM “Hammer” one to describe this hammer.

Groundman’s Equipment TE-23: When laid out, it looked like the following:

Groundman’s Equipment TE-23 March 1951 via TM 11-487B

Other items:

2 DR-4 reels [no -A suffix]:

2 DR-8 handheld reel rigs [no -A suffix]:

1 Bag, BG-44:

2 LC-57 Buckets, Canvas: A white canvas bucket for, likely, hauling tools around and up poles.

According to the TM 11-372 Telephone Cable Splicing Manual from May 1947, the LC-47 circular tool bag bucket is made of unbleached cotton duck cloth with an oak tanned leather bottom. 12 inches at the top, 8 inches at the bottom, and either 12, 16, or 20 inches in depth. It had rope handles fitted into a metal ring. Now, the fact that the bucket came in different depths presupposes that there are different model variants of the LC-57.

Describing materials and sizes of the LC-57 Bag Bucket

An example of a probable commercial LC-57 bucket

LC-25-A Lineman Wrench Wrapper

The LC-A wrench looked different when compared to the A version.

The LC-25-A Wrench was used to secure cross beams to telephone poles. I purchased mine off of eBay for 30 dollars in March 2025, shipped. It came in new, unopened condition. It was wrapped in two brown paperish wrappers with a paper tag attached to it.

The first tag was an inspection wrapper dated 3/1960. The second tag was the initial packing tag. It was dated 11/1951.

Now, to my knowledge, the wrench didn’t change between WW2 and the Korean War. I don’t have the wrappers, but the 11/1951 wrapper is 6in long and 2in wide. The 3/1960 is 7in long and 2in wide. You can download a pdf here if you want to try and recreate it.

Tool Set TE-16 and Tool Set TE-56

Below is the list of tools and equipment contained in both sets. They come from the TM 11-372 Telephone Cable Splicing Manual from May 1947. While post World War II, it seems the equipment for the sets wouldn’t have varied by much, if at all.

Posted on March 27, 2025March 27, 2025 by Pat Costa

WAAC Documents

Below are some documents related to the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps.

WAAC Admin Memo 14 July 19th 1942 –

Tentative WAAC Drill Regulations CH 1 General –

Tentative WAAC Drill Regulations CH 2 School of the Soldier –

Tentative WAAC Drill Regulations CH 4 Drill For Foot Troops –

Tentative WAAC Drill Regulations CH 9 Ceremonies –

QM 3-2 WACs and Nurses Clothing and Equipment: Circular No 4 Revised Oct 1943 and including Change 1 of April 1944 – First published in Oct 1943 and then updated in April 1944. A list of clothing and equipment items for Nurses and WACs.

For the June 1946 version, see: Armed Service Forces Catalog, Quartermaster Supply Catalog QM 3-2. List of Items for Troop Issue, WACS’ and Nurses’ Clothing and Equipment. Headquarters, Army Service Forces.

Morning Report HQ % 3341 Signal Service Battalion Dec 11th 1944 – An example of a morning report. This report comes from the % 3341st Signal Service Battalion, which was made up of Women Army Corps soldiers (WACs).

The % isn’t a typo but a way to designate on paper that the unit is WACs. The battalion operated what was likely the largest message center outside of Washington DC.

Posted on March 25, 2025June 3, 2025 by Pat Costa

WW2 Reenacting Food and Drink and Ration Printables

This page will outline food box and label printables associated primarily with the US Army or the homefront. Other countries are listed if I have a box or label for them.

For a listing of wartime recipes, the 1940s Experiment has a list of 100+ British recipes. You can also see my Red Cross recipes post.

Drink

Vat 69 Blended Scotch Whisky – A whiskey label to print off on standard 8.5 x 11 printer paper. Then, glue the label to the Whiskey bottle. I’m not sure what kind of glue is needed, but you’ll likely need an original VAT69 bottle. Attributed to ChrisNZ.

For the stopper and the wax seal stamp, you can 3D print it using this guide. Use black for the stopper and red wax.

The bottles are green in color, and you can pick them up at various places online like ebay.com or etsy.com, etc. Google Images is a good place to start to see what’s available, as well as the old advertisements to see where the label parts get placed. For a short history of Vat 69, see A History of VAT 69.

While not Vat 69 for an overseas cocktail recipe that could pass censors, see the Ration Recipe Section Cherry Jar Cocktail.

Food

WW2 Wrigley’s Army Ration Cinnamon Chewing Gum Wrappers – A Pdf that shows two styles of the gum wrapper. The top is model ODC-1, and the bottom is ODC-2. I have not printed these off or tested the size.

Note that with this pdf you may need to play with the .doc file (that I’ve included) to find the right size.

There are also better options, such as buying the wrapper from an online source that didn’t exist when I first attempted to make these.

Wrigley’s developed Cinnamon gum because the mint gum that was included in K-rations made everything taste like mint.

Poor Man’s D-Ration: When I first started WW2 Reenacting back in the late 1990s, there wasn’t much way in the authentic rations. This was a broke kid’s attempt to make a D-ration.

Essentially, print off the wrapper on brown cardstock. You may need to adjust tones (half-tone seemed to work in the past).

Trim, cut, and fold it. Use a few dabs of Elmer’s school glue to glue the sides together.

In the past, I used Hershey bars as the D-Ration, which is just ridiculous. These days, I might either make the D-ration myself or buy some protein bars, wrap them in wax paper, and stick them inside.

Once you have your ration inside, use a few glue dots to close the lid. That way, you can re-open it without damaging it and continue to reuse the box.

If you want to make edits to the image size, you can download the document file here.

You can also refer to the Ration Recipes D-bar section for another.

This is what the box looks like when printed

Poor Man’s C-Rations: When I first started WW2 reenacting back in the late 1990s, there wasn’t much way in the authentic rations.

The unit I was with, 88th Infantry Division, 350th RCT, came up with a poor man’s way to make rations. We were all poor high school and college kids trying to make it work.

Essentially, buy two 12-oz cans. One can, the “M” unit, would be an off-the-shelf Pork n’ Beans. The other one, the “B” unit, would be a cheap 12-oz can. You then take a can opener that doesn’t leave rough edges and cut the top till you have about a fingertip left. The idea is that you could open and close the can and reuse it.

You then fill the “B” unit with biscuits (wrapped in wax paper), 3-5 caramels, a few sugar packets, and travel-size instant coffee.

You then print the label using gold-colored/foil paper, wrap it around the can, and glue it.

There are better places to find more authentic C-rations. Etsy appears to have a few that make them. But in a pinch, if you’re just starting, this could work.

Another way to make the units can be found in this document: Making WW2 C-Rations for Reenacting.

You can also refer to the Ration Recipes C-Ration Biscuit section for more information.

German

This will show a listing of German boxes and labels. For an example of a recipe, see Ration Recipes, German Goulash for Field Kitchen.

Butter-Keks are a brand of crackers. Wikipedia goes into more detail on the brand’s history. Looks like you can print it on cardstock. I’m unsure how many crackers go into the box. I would also guess the crackers would’ve been wrapped in some kind of craft or wax paper.

Butterkase u. Rinderwurst – Size and container unknown.

Rote Rüben Geschnitten – Size and container unknown.

BTM Kaffe m.Milch – Size and container unknown.

Ersatz Kaffee – Size and container unknown.

Orangen Gelatine – Size and container unknown.

Knackebrot – Size and container unknown

Milchkaffe– Size and container unknown

Zitroen Bonbon – Size and container unknown

Frucht Stange (Apfel-Kirsche) – Size and container unknown.

Frucht Stange (P-A-K) – Size and container unknown.

Frucht Stange (Aprikose) – Size and container unknown.

Dauerbrot – a bread ration. Size and container unknown.

Iron Ration– This was a German ration which appeared to have a unit of bread (Hartkeks) and a unit of meat (Fleischkonserve, Rinderbraten, Truthahnstucke, Schinkenstucke, and maybe Huhnstücke, but I’m unsure). The Fleischkonserve is essentially canned mystery meat. I don’t do German, but I guess some kind of potted meat or canned tuna, etc., type can would work with that label. The Hartkeks label goes with some unit of hardtack/crackers. The Halbeiserne Portion label that has both on it would be placed on top. So the meat and crackers are combined in a package, and that label goes on top. Print sizes are all unknown. I guess the label could be white or the blue and tan colors shown in the colored images.

Posted on March 25, 2025June 6, 2025 by Pat Costa

World War Two Civilian Magazines and Newspapers

This will be a collection of WWII-era Civilian magazines and newspapers. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, War Time Press has a selection as well. However, it appears you only get a digital file.

If you would like information on Army Talks and Combat Lesson publications, see World War II Combat Lessons and Army Talks.

For Army magazines and newspapers, see: WW2 Reenacting Army Newspapers, Guides, Pamphlets, and Bulletins.

For information on Men’s Adult Magazines, see my post: WW2 Men’s Magazines.

Popular Mechanics – The 1940s versions are available for viewing in Google Library, but you do not seem able to download them. You can download the 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1945 years via the Internet Archive. My guess is that you could print this on an 8.5×11 standard piece of printing paper (though back then, it appears to have been closer to newsprint?)

Collier’s – Is another popular American Magazine. This one was weekly, so there are a lot of issues to look through. Like other magazines, this one also captures the products available during the War years. You can find the full collection at Unz Review, though they don’t appear to be downloadable.

Below are the editions with Wartime Covers

April 21th, 1945
March 24th, 1945
February 3rd, 1945

November 25th, 1944
September 30th, 1944
June 24th, 1944
May 6th, 1944
March 4th, 1944
February 19th, 1944
February 5th, 1944
January 3rd, 1944

July 31st, 1943
February 20st, 1943

Click

Look

Liberty

Pic

Pic

See

Time

Life

Saturday Evening Post

Posted on December 13, 2024December 17, 2024 by Pat Costa

WW2 SCR-300 Original Radio Images

Below is a group of original SCR-300 radio images (though some images are also of field phones and switchboards as they are commonly seen together with a radio, especially in a command post type setting). These were collected by Chad Phillips on Facebook and reposted here to get it out of their walled garden and searchable on the broader internet. You can download the complete photo collection here.

For a holistic review of the SCR-300 see: The SCR-300 for WW2 Reenactments.

Posted on July 19, 2024May 22, 2025 by Pat Costa

French Repacked BD-71 Switchboard

Advanced Guard Militaria offered a French repacked switchboard for $250 dollars, shipped. When I saw that I pounced on it as it was a good price and I wanted to rebuy the BD-71 switchboard I once had. I bought that one for $80 dollars at an auction in 2011.

The switchboard came in a large box and a smaller box contained the accessories.

Unpacking the switchboard was like peeling back an onion. First I had to peel back some paper coverings and open the box.

Next, I discovered some kind of canvas, metallic-backed waterproof bag. When I opened it up, I probably should have done it outside to be safe as the bag appeared to be vacuum sealed, and yet when I opened it, I heard gasses escaping.

Who knows what kind of gas might have been pumped into the bag prior to sealing? At any rate, I got a lung full of 1968 French air.

When I opened it up, there was another box!

When I opened the box, the switchboard finally came into view. It was packed tightly up against cardboard (which left packing lines on the unit). It also contained this weird brown cloth-like packing material (if anyone knows what that is let me know!) –

The accessories were all in waxy and gummy waterproofed cardboard boxes. I had to use scissors to cut it open.

The results look great! I really like the switchboard, the white/tan cardboard lines not so. If anyone had an idea on how to remove them without damaging the wood let me know!

When I began to open up the switchboard, there were documents and manuals. There was a French inventory list, a French wire and circuit test, a wiring diagram, and a field manual, TM 1-330.

The wiring diagram can be downloaded as a pdf here and is 7in x 9in. The material isn’t quite computer print paper, but not cardstock. I’d say if you could find a lightweight cardstock, that’s probably the best, or just printing it off on white computer paper would also work. The diagram would be glued or taped (unsure which) to the inside access panel in the back of the switchboard.

Now to make the switchboard more historically accurate to WW2, I bought a data plate and swapped it out. I kept the old French one and just added it to my bar as kitsch.

Posted on July 9, 2024July 13, 2024 by Pat Costa

WW2 Reenacting Ordnance and Firearm Printables

The Ordnance Soldiers Guide – This is a booklet an Ordnance replacement soldier would have gotten at a replacement depot. It’s designed to be a quick refresher of content they would’ve learned in basic training.

Converting an Ohio Ordnance Works BAR into a WW2 BAR – Ohio Ordinance Works no longer sells BARs but if you come across one you can use this guide to help swap out parts for correct works to make it period correct. This is not a WW2 document but a helpful one for reenactors.

M1917 Ammunition box plans – Plans on how to create the wooden M1917 ammo box used to hold different kinds of ammo

60mm M2 Mortar Firing Tables – FT60-D-2 – Print on ivory-coloured A4 paper (approximately 100-120gsm). Print on both sides to produce one Firing Table.

M1a1 Bangalore Torpedoes and Crate: There are a few guides out there such as one from the US Militaria Forum, one from a group of reenactors out of New Zealand, and another one out of Belgium. However, these guides are very brief and don’t provide quality step-by-step instructions or a pdf.

See Bangalore Torpedo Training on YouTube for a great video on how they work.

Denver Arsenal 30 cal – Prints off 10 little cards that get inserted into a bandoleer. Print on brown card stock.

1/2 Pound TNT – Prints off two types of labels. A white one and a yellow one. I’m not sure which is more accurate. You can follow this 3D printing guide by ChrisNZ to print off the block and then wrap the paper around it.

1 Pound TNT – Prints off a white label. You can follow this 3D printing guide by ChrisNZ to print off the block and then wrap the paper around it. My guess is you need to print off two 1/2 pound blocks and then put them together and wrap the label around it.

Chemical Warfare Identification and First Aid Pocket Reference Gas Guide inside and outside | Describes what to do during a gas attack

5th Army Engineer Training March 1943 – Looks to be a cleaned-up version of a quick primer on how to lay a minefield using the Hawkins mine.

The M-E5 Series Flame Throwers May 1944 – A tactical discussion of the E5R1-5 and E4-5 Flame Throwers in tanks. E5R1-5 is installed in light tanks and the E4-5 is installed in medium tanks.

The doctrine is to use the flame throwers where infantry units are likely to cluster such as in bunkers, heavy underbrush, and basements in an urban setting.

Posted on June 23, 2024April 29, 2025 by Pat Costa

WW2 Signal Corps and Communication Paperwork

Below is a collection of Signal Corps-related paperwork for use in WW2 Reenacting.

Radio

Templetone Model BP2-A5 Log Card – The Templetone Model BP-2A5 seemed to be some kind of morale radio for the troops. The log card would be placed under the front-cover so it would show when the cover was opened. Not sure why a morale radio would need a station log card?

Print in medium-weight beige cardstock. Print on both sides of the media and cut at crop marks to produce one Station Log card.

For a good history of the radio see: Templetone Model BP2-A5 “Morale Radio”.

BC-611 Frequency Card – This is the card that would go into the small window of the BC-611/SCR-546 radio

Form 138 Operators Number Sheet – Front and Back | Print front-to-back pages on natural or ivory paper and stack+trim to the same size. Run a few beads of rubber cement along the top edge to have a tear-away stack.

I’m not sure what this form was exactly used for.

Form 159 – Number Sheet | Print pages on natural or ivory paper and stack+trim to the same size. Run a few beads of rubber cement along the top edge to have a tear-away stack.

I’m unsure what this was exactly used for.

Telephone

Signal Corps Station Log – Signal Corps paperwork to record traffic at what appears to be a telephone station. Form number unknown.

Print pages on natural or ivory paper and stack+trim to the same size. Run a few beads of rubber cement along the top edge to have a tear-away stack.

Other

Form 158 – Route Delivery List – Signal Corps form for delivering messages. Print 25 pages on natural or ivory paper and stack+trim to the same size. Run a few beads of rubber cement along the top edge. You’ll have a tear-away pad of 50 sheets.

A “route delivery” seems to connect more points.

M-209 Sheets: For use with the M-209 cipher.

Form 160 Local Delivery List – Signal Corps form for delivering messages. Print 25 pages on natural or ivory paper and stack+trim to the same size. Run a few beads of rubber cement along the top edge. You’ll have a tear-away pad of 50 sheets.

A “local delivery” seems to connect fewer points.

Message Book M210a Front and Inside – A printable pdf file for the M201a message book. This book would be used in a message center. It would be unlikely to appear in a map case. You can download the front+back here and the insides here.

Print on regular paper and then trimmed to size. The book has overall dimensions of approximately 6-1/8″W x 4-1/4″H x 1/2″ thick. Inside the book are 25 each triplicate message forms for regular use, three each duplicate forms for carrier pigeon use, and 25 sheets of tracing paper. The back cover has an extension that can be placed under the topmost form, so that it can be filled out without marking the carbon-copies of the following forms. The book also includes instructions for its use and a list of authorized abbreviations.

For best results, print on 8-1/2″ x 11″ US letter-sized paper with no scaling. Finished forms should be 4.75in wide by 4.25in tall.

When cutting it out, save 1/4 inch of space on the left-hand side. That way the staples don’t go through the message part.

I’m not sure if anyone is reproducing these, but if they are, I’ll add a link. Note that this only includes a single blank message form and not the carbon copies or map overlay.

Now there’s also an M 210-B message book, which looks like it came out in late 1944. This is according to the Signal Corps Technical Information Letter Nov 1944 No 36. The major differences are some measurement tools on the front cover, the removal of the pigeon forms, and map overlays. This was all done to help speed up the message processing, as it was found that soldiers experienced difficulty removing the copies in the M210a book.

There’s also an M-105-A message book. I’m not sure what the difference is. If I find out I’ll write about it.

Signal Corps Technical Information Letters

Signal Corps Technical Information Letter No 18 – May 1943. Outlines new training methods, procedures, and equipment. One interesting story is how local police captured an illegal pinball den and donated the machines to Ft. Monmouth to be used as needed.

Signal Corps Technical Information Letter No 36 – Nov 1944. Outlines new training methods, procedures, and equipment. Discusses the fungi and moistureproofing techniques (which is some kind of lacquer spray), as well as the Silica Gel, used to pack equipment, and an anti-radio jamming exercise, among other interesting and nuanced signal corps minutia.

27th Signal Company Switchboard Trailers – During the Phase 1 Nansei Shoto Operation on Okinawa, the 27th Signal Company of the 27th Infantry Division created a special trailer to house a BD-96 switchboard and it’s BD-97 panel, test sets, EE8 field phones and other incidentals required to operate a BD-97 switchboard in a combat operation. The BD-96 is used to run up to 40 lines into it.

The trailer was used to be as mobile as possible during the operation. Being mounted in a trailer makes it so.

This type of configuration may have been used at the Battalion or, more probably, at the regimental level.

BD-96 and BD-97 images come from: TM 11-487B Directory of Signal Corps Equipments: Wire Communication Equipment.

Basic Wire Communication: Lineman’s Handbook: Wire Training Section Central Signals Replacement Training Center, Camp Crowder Missouri – This is a printable booklet and gives a very quick review of wire splicing, terminology, and organization

TM-184a Terminal Board Fabrication – This is a pdf that shows the schematics of how to fabricate the TM-184a terminal board. It is used as a terminating or test point in tactical field wire systems.

TM-184 T1 and T2 replace this. You can view the instructional manual for them here.

TM-184a T1 and T2 hold 7 pairs of wires. TM-84 holds 5 pairs of wires.

World War 1 Era Magazines

1920s and 1930s Men’s Magazines

World War II Era Men’s Magazines

Post World War II Men’s Magazines

The Korean War

Lineman:

Groundman’s Equipment:

Other items:

LC-25-A Lineman Wrench Wrapper

Tool Set TE-16 and Tool Set TE-56

Drink

Food

German

Radio

Telephone

Other

Signal Corps Technical Information Letters

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