One Quart Military Canteen
U.S. Army 1 Qt. Canteen, M-1910
Click photo for larger image.
Part of every soldier's basic equipment is his canteen. Since World War I, with the M-1910 standard, the basic U.S. Army canteen, also used by the other armed services, has been 1 quart in volume. Other canteens in 2 quart or larger volumes have been issued, but the almost universal canteen remains the 1 quart size. The design of the canteen cover, also standardized as the M-1910, also remained nearly constant for many decades.
The canteen system includes a folding handle cup that nests with the canteen, an insulated cover that attaches to belt or pack, and a cap attached to the canteen by a chain or strap.
U.S. Army 1 Qt. Canteen, WW II Plastic Cap.
Early World War II canteens were the M-1910 design in aluminum with an aluminum cap attached to the canteen neck by a small chain, as in the top photo of this page. This unit was carried over from before World War I (the design of 1910), made from two halves vertically welded up the sides. Later canteens were made with two stainless steel halves joined horizontally. In the back of the canteen cover in the top center photo, you can see the wire hooks that attach the canteen cover to the cartridge belt, as above, or pistol belt. The same wire clip was used for attachment of many other types of accessories such as the first aid pouch, bayonet, or intrenching tool.
A rare World War II variation was an enameled canteen and (more rare) the enameled canteen cup. They were issued only (?) to Navy and USMC in black/deep blue enamel to save alumimum and stainless steel materials.
The canteen cover M-1910 had a khaki canvas cloth outer layer (changed to olive drab late in World War II), usually with "US" stamped in it, and an insulated liner made of dark grey felt. Two Lift the Dot (LTD) fasteners attached the flaps to the front of the cover, holding the canteen securely inside. In the summer, soldiers were instructed to keep the liner wet -- evaporation helped cool the canteen. In the winter, if kept dry, the insulation helped keep the water from freezing. An eyelet in the bottom of the cover provided drainage. USMC issued covers with longer tabs that crossed to opposite LTD fasteners, like folder arms.
The aluminum cap was replaced by a black plastic (Bakelite) cap, the typical canteen of World War II, as in the uncovered canteen photo immediately above. A cork washer in the cap made a tight seal.
The Vietnam period (1960s) saw the aluminum canteen replaced by an olive drab polyethylene plastic bottle with a matching cap held to the canteen by a broad plastic strap, instead of a chain. The cover evolved from the insulated cotton design to a nylon insulated material, with snaps instead of the metal fasteners closing the cover. The M1910 bent wire hook attachment system became the "ALICE keeper" sliding attachments related to the Alice load carrying system. The nylon canteen covers have a small flap pocket, with velcro flap, intended to hold a bottle of water purification tablets.
U.S. Army 1 Qt. Canteen, Vietnam Plastic.
U.S. Army Vietnam-era Canteen with Water Purification Tablets Bottle.
Later plastic canteens have a cap with a smaller opening in the top center that allows use of the drinking apparatus on military gas masks. This is made so a plastic tube can run from inside the gas mask into the canteen. During gas attacks, the soldier can drink without removing his mask or exposing the contents of the canteen to the gas. You can buy the heavy duty replacement cap from
U.S. Cavalry Store. That cap works with standard GI
one quart
and
two quart
canteens as well as the Arctic Canteen.
Canteen Cup
The early model M-1910 canteen cup had a metal strip handle that folded onto the cup itself. Identifying marks -- "US", manufacturer, date -- are stamped into the handle or on the bottom of the cup. The material was aluminum until 1943-1944 after which stainless steel was used. The early style cup was replaced in the 1970s (?) by NSN 8465-00-165-6838, a steel model with butterfly folding wire handles attached to the outside of the same basic cup. The lip of the aluminum cup was rolled (a problem since it got too hot), while the stainless cup edges were not.
The metal canteen cup is intended to hold hot liquids, such as coffee or soup, and can be used to boil liquids. Because of this need to handle heat, the metal cup is still used with the plastic canteen. Small stoves are made in the exact size to provide heat to the canteen cup, such as the "Natick Stove" or earlier models that use Trioxane fuel tablets or bars.
The metal canteen cup continues in use, but is not carried by everyone. The use of MREs, prepackaged water and drinks, and other changes has reduced the need for the separate cup. Thanks to James Yeager for help with this section.
Canteen Markings
All military canteens have markings on the canteen and on the cover. Typical markings on the aluminum canteen are stamped into the bottom and include "US" plus the year and manufacturer name. The molded plastic canteens have simliar markings in raised letters on the bottom and have a warning not to expose the canteen to an open flame on the upper part of the body.
Covers typically have "US" on the front plus year and manufacturer identification on the bottom or back. The nylon covers have more extensive information such as contract number, NSN and more (see inset photo).
It was very common for soldiers to mark their name or service number on equipment, to stencil unit information, or other identification, as in the top photo.
Two Quart Canteens
Since many soldiers were carrying two of the one quart canteens, a two quart canteen was developed and issued during the Vietnam war. They had the same black plastic top as the last issued metal canteens, but consisted of a plastic bladder inside a nylon case. The case had a small flap-covered pocket for water purification tablets on the outside.
A later version of the two quart canteen (shown in the photos) had a more substantial plastic bladder with a top same as the plastic one quart canteen. A nylon case was supplied for this canteen as well. This model is known as the "Canteen, Water, Collapsible, 2 Quart".
Find More Information on the Web
There are many fine websites that have additional information on this topic, too many to list here and too many to keep up with as they come and go. Use this Google web search form to get an up to date report of what's out there.
For good results, try entering this: army canteen. Then click the Search button.
