M1944 vs M1945 vs M1944 Converted Packs WWII WW2 Korean War US Army

Hey guys, Blighty Vintage here. I just wanted to show you some M1944 and some M1945 field packs and kind of the variations and how to tell the difference is the big thing. So, first up, I'm going to go over all these. M1944, the big difference as you can see, these straps don't go over top of the flap, whereas the M1945, the flaps actually do go over the top to secure them. So, M1944 and M1945. So, the difference was in the middle, what they also did is this is an M1944 convert and I'll show you that in a second. So, other than this being the big difference of the webbing being on top of the flap for M1944 and M1945, the added that is these little securing loops on the M1944 and they are four points of securing and one on the back and the point for this was to hang your M1944 lower pack. Now, I don't have one but what it actually had is it had tabs that came up the middle and through the sides and around the back and instead of this securing type, which is an M1945 type, it would actually clip here like a quick release that basically you'll see in the M1956 type pouches. It's that type of closure in the front. So, literally the tab will go through there and it's one of the points and so I don't have a lower pack to show you and it's interesting because these are actually dated 45. So, M1944 pattern, you'll see 44 and 45 dated ones. Again, this is 45 as well. Now, what they did after this, they realized that that tab securing type was not the best. My guess is with a bunch of these tabs, they were easily ripped off. These aren't very, I guess, strong in my opinion, these little tabs. So, it was kind of sloppy, I guess. So, they figured they'd come up with a more solid style but before they did, they still had a lot of 1944 packs, M1944. So, what they did is they cut off the securing tabs. They cut these off. So, this one is actually all been cut off. As you can see clear on the back, it's been cut off so that one it's still secured. So, they cut it all off. Why did they do that? That's because they added these buckles to use for the new lower pack system, M1945 lower pack system. So, again, you look here, no buckles there and they added the buckles after the A-ring as well which is interesting. So, really, when you get down to it, these two packs are identical except this one's been converted and you can see it more clearly side by side. So, you see M1944, it doesn't have the webbing over the top, neither does this one. It's M1944 as well but after they wanted to use the new pack system, they said we have a lot of these packs. They're basically the same. Let's cut it off. Cut these tabs off and add this type of securing system to secure your lower pack. So, this is an M1945 lower pack, still very common. The M1944, just like these, is very hard to find now. So, it would basically just have a point system there and, again, I may have hooked this up incorrectly. I'm still doing my research. Here's it with the cargo straps. As you can see, when cargo straps go up through here, there's a lot of great videos on how to secure those and, again, these secure in the back. So, I'll show you that and what you'll find is a lot of these are post-World War II dated. The M1945 packs they started making in 1945, obviously, and you'll find 1945 dated ones but here you'll see a 1951 date and I believe in this one you'll see an M19 or 1951 date as well. Gotcha. 1951, hard to see, and even this lower pack is 1951 for example. So, I hope that helps. Just to go over some other elements that can change, install the side cargo pocket, side cargo pocket, install the blanket straps in the same spot, blanket straps in the same spot, so, and they have the upper blanket strap, upper blanket strap, and they have the e-tool securing tab at the bottom, e-tool securing tab at the bottom. So, hope that helps you kind of identify your stuff, guys.