Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 181:
Description
WWII U.S. Army Airborne 2nd Pattern Individual Parachutist Weapon Cover ("Griswold Bag"), stenciled 8300-442650, OD canvas paratrooper weapon case, circa 1944-1945 This lot offers a genuine World War II Griswold bag, the padded canvas weapon case developed for American paratroopers to protect and secure their primary arm – typically a field-stripped M1 Garand or M1/M1928A1 Thompson submachine gun – during a combat jump. Stenciled vertically on the reverse with the drawing number 8300-442650, the piece is consistent with wartime Quartermaster Corps production and represents the widely used 2nd pattern configuration. No individual paratrooper association or unit provenance has been identified with this example, and its story rests on the object’s documented pattern and known service record rather than a named recipient. The Griswold bag traces its origin to 1941, when Lieutenant Jesse Griswold of the 501st Parachute Infantry Battalion devised a padded, zippered sleeve that could be clipped to the front chest ring of a paratrooper’s harness, allowing the weapon to ride beneath the jumper during descent and be freed quickly upon landing. The 2nd pattern, built in OD shade 7 cotton duck with a full-length zipper and quilted internal padding, became standard issue by 1944 and accompanied airborne troops through some of the war’s largest airborne operations, including Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, the winter fighting of the Battle of the Bulge, and the Rhine crossing of Operation Varsity in March 1945 – the padded, zippered bundles a familiar sight beneath paratroopers as they exited aircraft doors. The case is constructed of heavy padded OD canvas, its exterior and interior both quilted in a grid pattern to cushion and immobilize the weapon along its length. A full-length brass Talon zipper runs the body of the bag beneath a fabric weather flap secured near the top by a small snap-tab closure, both zipper and snap appearing intact and functional though untested. The reverse bears the stenciled drawing number 8300-442650, positioned beneath the white-stitched webbing attachment strap that would originally have anchored the bag to the harness snap hook. The lot consists of the single weapon cover only, with no additional insignia, tags, or paperwork accompanying the piece. Condition is fair to good for a combat-issue textile of this age: the original metal snap hook has been torn or cut away from the white-stitched webbing anchor at the rear, leaving a frayed remnant, and the canvas shows general soiling, fading, and light wear consistent with hard field use, though the body panels and stitching remain sound throughout. An honestly represented example of the iconic airborne Griswold weapon case, its stenciled number and telltale severed anchor strap speaking plainly to both its intended battlefield purpose and its long survival.
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