5th Ranger Battalion
Easy Company
Modified Gear and Oddities
Throughout the war the Rangers modified and augmented their uniforms and equipment to better suit their needs. There were instances where what they needed or wanted wasn't available and they had to use ingenuity to get what they needed. Many times these modifications were widespread among the Rangers and sometimes they were unique. These are some of the most common Ranger modifications, quircks or oddities that we have evidence of. Some of these are just alternative uses for field equipment and some are physical changes to their gear.
Cut Down Leggings
The most common modification we see are cut down leggings. Its almost harder to find full length leggings on a Ranger. Nearly all Rangers that wore Service or roughout boots on DDay had cut down leggings. It was practice started by the 1st and 3rd Ranger battalions and was continued by the 2nd and 5th. It was done for comfort on long marches. There doesn't seem to be any specified length they were cut down to as they seem to vary in length.
You can see the difference in height from the full length leggins on the right and the rest to the left.
Parachute Helmet Covers/Scarves
Once the Rangers started moving inland from Omaha Beach you start seeing them using camouflage parachute material for helmet covers and scarves. This is seen through the Normandy campaign and Brest.
This is from the Brest Campaign. you can see the helmet in the center has the parachute camo with a net on top.
Parachute scarf worn by a Ranger Officer on August 17 1944 in the Mayenne Sector.
Helmet Covers worn at an award ceremony following the Normandy Campaign.
Theater Made Shoulder Holsters
This is something that I believe happened between the Normandy and Brest campaigns. There are many pictures of 5th Rangers modifying M1916 holsters by cutting down the flap or modifying the flap into a strap. It also appears that many Rangers used their leather strap from the binocular case they were issued for DDay to fashion a shoulder harness. It appears that any scrap leather they can find was used to make shoulder holsters, including German Y-straps!
From one of the most unique photos we've ever seen, this is Dog Co men with several types of modified shoulder holsters. Note also the Jump Jacket and the British battle tunic.
Taken in August of 1944 this clearly shows a binocular case strap being used as a shoulder harness with a heavily modified M1916 holser.
Added Fatigue Pockets
Seen on only a couple of Rangers for embarkation there appears to be added pockets below the knees on the fatigue pants. They appear to be the same pockets found on the fatigue HBT uniforms.
Cut Down Intrenching Tools
For the invasion of Normandy M1943 folding shovels were primarily worn by officers. During embarkation some officers appear to have shortened handles.
General Purpose Bag Strap/Rope
For the invasion of Normandy on D-Day almost all Rangers had a general purpose bag to carry ammunition for crew served weapons. None of the bags appeared to have to standard GP strap on them. The bags either had pup tent rope or litter straps used instead.
BAR Belt/Cartridge Belt With the Carbine
Looking at embarkation film of the Rangers loading onto ships for D-Day shows that a lot of Rangers that carried a M1 carbine wore either a BAR belt or a cartridge belt (sometimes with an addition carbine pouch worn on the cartridge belt). It appears that Rangers with carbines and BAR belts outnumbered the use of traditional carbine ammo pouches. accounts state that they preferred them for ability of BAR belts to carry large amounts of ammo and grenades. It should also be noted that we've never seen a picture of a Ranger with a carbine pouch slipped on to the stock for D-Day.
There are several photos of Rangers with cartridge belts paired with carbines. This practice is very uncommon outside of the Rangers. Its possible that some of the cartridge belts are mounted to allow for the addition of what appears to be British made carbine pouches