39 pattern webbing

The 1939 Pattern Webbing was the leather variant of the 1937 Pattern Web Equipment.

History

At the beginning of the Second World War in 1939 the British Army numbered around 200,000. With the introduction of the National Service and the activation of reservists, the Army increased to 2,000,000 men. The sudden increase in Army population resulted in a lack of proper equipment. The webbing production equipment at the time, the Patt 37, could not keep up with growing demand. The government approached leaders in the leather industry and asked them to design a leather alternative to Patt 37, a variation of the Patt 37 using leather. The Army had faced a similar problem at the beginning of the First World War and the Patt 08. To resolve the issue, the leather Patt 14 equipment was introduced.

The difference between the two designs was that there were no Patt 39 haversacks. If needed, they would use Patt 37 haversacks and packs with the leather equipment; the government immediately ordered one million sets of Leather Infantry Equipment Patt 39. Unlike the Patt 14 used in the First World War, Patt 39 never saw front line service with the British Army; it was only used for training purposes and rear line troops including the Home Guard. When enough Patt 37 webbing became available, Patt 39 was withdrawn and reissued to the free Belgians and Dutch. The Patt 39 was also sent to Russia, where it was issued to Czech and Polish troops. The Belgians and Dutch carried on using it post-war.

See also

• 1914 pattern Webbing