Algerian War backpacks and musettes

[rullow]

Thats correct. lether colourisation came leather with the need of better NBC protection. Varnished leather doesnt absorb water - so easier to clean....

in the late Algerian war - you could see here and there few guys with yellow leatherequipment, but its the very end and more or less an exception...

[Kenneth]

Concerning the later production rucksacks, La Tranchée now has unissued rucksacks, the ones with the green leather, complete with all the accessory straps, no doubt having been stacked in a box for 40 years and look it. Too late for Algeria or Indochina.

But also on the subject of the same model rucksack in Algeria (with any color leather): Before the war and as far back as before 1900, the French Army used various pieces of squad camping equipment, the largest one being the 'boiler,' used called a Bouthéon. Somewhere I'm almost certain I saw a photo in one of the militaria magazines of one on the front of one of the post-war rucksacks. But I've never seen that photo since. It somehow even seems doubtful that the Bouthéon even continued in use after the war. By way of comparison, I wonder what the US Army still uses that was in use when I was in, fifty years ago?

[craigtx]

I have two of post war manufacture, so they were made. How widely they were used is questionable. I couldn't find either mess kit, nor boutheon in a quick perusal of my reference materials.

[earlymb]

A few months ago I came across another Bergam at the Ciney show, the earlier type with the grey/green canvas and brown leather straps. In used condition but with good leather, it lacked the frame and the right lower shoulderstrap so I took the frame from my other pack and used one of the loose leather packstraps to make a lower shoulderstrap with a rivet; now it's serviceable again. For €5 I didn't complain too loud

[Kenneth]

I just did another exhausting, if not exhaustive, search through my stock of Militaria magazines and failed to find what I'm certain I remember seeing, referring to a Bouthéon strapped to a post-war rucksack. However, it would only have been a reconstruction and not an original photo. I also have a post-war Bouthéon and was surprised to see that it as manufactured in 1961, of aluminum. It's worth remembering that France still maintained occupation troops in Germany then, as well as home troops. If anyone was still had them on issue, I would have guessed it was the chasseurs alpins. Whether they ever actually used them is another question. But I've never seen a photo of one after WWI, much less WWII. Maybe I imagined the whole thing. I did see a photo of a snow camouflage cover for the rucksack, though.

Something else I happened to notice, though, was that a special variation of the Model 1947 and 47/52 combat jacket (one or the other, perhaps both) existed for mountain troops, although the difference was minor. It looked like there was extra material in the front, like the gas flap on a WWII US Army fatigue jacket, which is probably where the idea came from. And there were buttons for a hood, too, but those were the only differences, I think. I believe those same variations continued on with the M64 jacket.

[lew]

I seem to recall seeing white pack cover for the alpine troops, so I don't think you are totally insane.

[Kenneth]

I make no defense concerning my sanity. In any event, there is a photo of said rucksack cover in Guyader's book on the Foreign Legion in Algeria. It even stated that it and all the other snow camouflage gear (tenue blanche) was on issue to the 1st and 3d battalions of the 2nd REI. The rucksack cover was laid flat with the rucksack on top of it, so it isn't clear what it looks like in use. I imagine any alpine units in Algeria might already have had such stuff already.