Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 108:
Description
US Army Model 1910 Dismounted Ten-Pocket Woven Web Cartridge Belt, Caliber .30, World War I era AEF issue, circa 1917-1918 Offered here is an original US Army Model 1910 dismounted cartridge belt, the standard ammunition-carrying equipment issued to American Expeditionary Forces infantrymen during the First World War. No named provenance accompanies this piece; its history rests in the documented pattern and issue standards of the AEF supply system rather than in any individual attribution, and a specific contractor stamp cannot be confirmed from the photographs alone. The M1910 belt was designed to hold ten 5-round stripper clips of .30-06 Springfield ammunition, feeding the M1903 Springfield and M1917 Enfield service rifles that armed the bulk of American infantry in France. Woven on specialized looms by government contractors such as Mills Woven Cartridge Belt Co., Russell Manufacturing Co., or Long, the belt’s integral pocket construction replaced earlier leather and separate-pouch systems, offering AEF soldiers a lighter, more efficient means of carrying ammunition into the trenches of the Western Front. Grommets along its length allowed attachment of the M1910 canteen cover, first aid pouch, and pack suspenders, integrating the wearer into the full M1910 infantry equipment system carried from the Meuse-Argonne offensive through the Armistice and into the postwar occupation of the Rhineland. The belt displays the characteristic ten-pocket woven construction, each pocket secured by a blackened brass or bronze fastener of the period ‘lift-the-dot’ or rimmed snap style, along with the belt’s integral interlocking buckle closure allowing waist-size adjustment. Mounting grommets for accessory attachment are present along the belt’s rear panel and length. Any manufacturer stampings present are consistent with period AEF contractor markings, though legibility varies with wear and cannot be verified with certainty in the photographs provided. The belt is offered as pictured, with no additional accoutrements included in this lot. Condition is fair to very good for a vintage field-worn example, showing expected light-to-moderate soiling and fading to the canvas webbing along with oxidation to the metal snap hardware and eyelets, all consistent with genuine period service wear rather than remanufacture or reproduction. A solid, honest example of the ubiquitous AEF ammunition belt that equipped the American doughboy in the trenches of the Great War.
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