![]() The first result was the adoption of the Mills cartridge belt in 1880, which was made of dark-blue machine-woven web. Partly because of the harsh terrain of the American West and partly as a money-saving effort, the Army had looked for a replacement for leather pouches. Army was already outfitted with canvas web gear. While the Germans were facing leather shortages, the U.S. 30-caliber Springfield rifle rounds and canteen. Given the demand for leather boots, belts, and gear, the Germans resorted to creating ersatz materials, notably when it came to the leather pickelhaubes, or spiked helmets. As the Germans discovered during the Allied blockade of World War I, such equipment required a steady supply of raw leather to produce. It also tended to cause brass cartridges to corrode after prolonged contact, which was good for neither the ammunition nor the cartridge pouches. The leather had to be polished regularly because it was prone to drying out and cracking. This was expensive to produce and, worse yet for the soldier, heavy and stiff. Most nations in the 19th century issued leather belts, leather cartridge pouches, and leather packs to their soldiers. ![]() Modern combat equipment is still very much a direct descendant of the M1910 pattern that was worn into the trenches and beyond. But one piece of gear has remained unchanged into the modern day-the combat equipment, or web, gear. Helmets, boots, and small arms have also evolved. Besides the style of uniform, which now features a digital camouflage pattern to blend into desert surroundings, the fabrics today are far more breathable than the heavy wool that was worn when American soldiers went “Over There” in World War I. The American combat soldier today looks quite a bit different from his ancestor of 100 years ago.
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