Issue blankets

[lepayen]

A search on Google etc...produced a wide variety of French Military blankets, lots of colors, sizes etc...
Is there a way for me to narrow my search with a mle.# or color or can someone here help with what I should be looking for in regards to Indochina time frame?
Thanks in advance!

[craigtx]

From what I've seen, through Indo the blankets were, what we in the US, would call olive drab blankets. I haven't run across any of other colors for the time period. Unfortunately, there are no model numbers for blankets.

[craigtx]

One further note, On the book of faces page, one of the group members posted that the blankets were issued in a "two person" size, cut in half with one legionnaire taking the half with the identifying stitching and the other the unmarked half. This would make sense, as I have two WWII era blankets. One with markings, one without.

[earlymb]

Most armies stopped at the 2-person pup tent lol

[lew]

Feb 13, 2022 8:50:40 GMT -5 craigtx said:

One further note, On the book of faces page, one of the group members posted that the blankets were issued in a "two person" size, cut in half with one legionnaire taking the half with the identifying stitching and the other the unmarked half. This would make sense, as I have two WWII era blankets. One with markings, one without.

Is this cited anywhere? I've never heard of such a thing.

[craigtx]

Unfortunately, there was no citation. I'll see if I can get one.

[craigtx]

I asked the original poster of that comment for a citation. We'll see if it shows up.

[stalder]

Lucky coincidence. I was looking for the history of French dinnerware (Gamellen).
In fact, I found a great site.

frenchindochinawar.proboards.com/thread/918/gamelle-dinnerware?page=1&scrollTo=7436

if you scroll down a bit, you will see a photo of a legionnaire lying on the bed and reading the newspaper.
His blanket has stripes on the top and bottom. Unfortunately, the photo is black and white, but still very interesting.

[craigtx]

Feb 14, 2022 11:36:00 GMT -5 craigtx said:

I asked the original poster of that comment for a citation. We'll see if it shows up.

Well the original poster didn't have any citation, or reference. But did suggest a source that might contain some information.

In 1940 Le Soldat Francais Tome 2 by Olivier Bellec on page 46 it references blankets. From my rough translation of French it seems to verify the division of blankets from a larger whole.

[lew]

Good work Craig and stalder!

[craigtx]

You know me Steve, I gotta have answers for something like that. Remember the Mle53 Chappeaux de Brousse diggin'?

[Kenneth]

According to information on the website of the 151st Infantry Regiment, a WWI French reenactor's group, there was a "half-blanket" in use at the time. Presumably that would be the case for all French units of foot, including the Foreign Legion. Probably not for the horse mounted units, however. Demi-Couverture was the French term. The description also said it was wool, various shades of brown (115 cm x 175 cm, 3.4 lbs). Officially called the 'petite couverture de campement', more simply it was called the couvre-pied ("foot-cover"). Embroidered in yellow stitching with 'Campement' or simply the initials 'CM,' the year of issue, the factory number and the manufacturer's initials. Some blankets had dark brown stripes running down the sides.

That was the World War One period, however, and had probably changed, if only a little, in the 30-some years since that war. Even when new patterns of equipment and uniforms are introduced, there are typically holdovers from previous patterns still in use somewhere. In the case of the Legion, for instance, the Berthier carbine in 8mm Lebel was still in use by the Foreign Legion in the 1950s by some units and that was a weapon. Things like blankets probably don't change as often as weapons.