P38 can openerX2 USA ww2-vietnam-current conflics

Description: **USA p-38 X2 can opener for C or k Rations** (N.O.S)-new old stock you will get two openers The P-38 was used for opening a cans of C or K-Rations. The can opener is pocket-sized (approximately 1.5 inches, 38mm, in length) and consists of a short metal blade that serves as a handle (which doubles as a flat-blade screwdriver), with a small, hinged metal tooth that folds out to pierce the can lid. A notch just under the hinge point keeps the opener hooked around the rim of the can as the device is "walked" around to cut the lid out. Official military designations for the P-38 include 'US ARMY POCKET CAN OPENER' and 'OPENER, CAN, HAND, FOLDING, TYPE I'. , the origin of the term is not known with certainty; One rumored explanation for the origin of the name is that the P-38 is approximately 38 mm (1.5 in) long. . U.S. Army sources, however, indicate that the origin of the name is rooted in the 38 punctures around the circumference of a C-ration can required for opening. The p38 can opener has a hole to put a cord through, so you can hang it round your neck and it won't get lost. Today, the portable,,Meals ready to eat (MRE) consumed by American ground troops come in packages that are easy to open. In times past, the rations carried by a soldier or Marine were enclosed inside steel cans. The P-38 pocket can opener of the early World War II era was the solution to opening a can of food and chowing down. Some soldiers and Marines rate the P-38 as one of the handiest inventions ever issued to troops. While the U.S. armed forces have not issued any P-38s since the mid-1980s, some troops still carry them today. Some have been passed from one generation to the next. Many are part of collections of memorabilia belonging to veterans of past wars. In 1942, the Subsistence Research Laboratory of Chicago was charged with developing a can opener. The Army's K-ration came with a key opening system, but soldiers disliked it, and their complaints caused the Quartermaster Corps to seek an alternative. The idea was to design a device that was cheaper to make and faster to use than a standard can opener; yet was small and easily carried. The result was a small, folding can opener, the P-38. It was hinged and was just one and one-half inches long with a hole in one end. The hole was to intended for wire or string to pass through to enable a soldier to drop the can opener into boiling water for cleaning in the field. However, it also worked perfectly for hanging the P-38 on a dog tag chain. The P-38 was first issued in 1943 as part of a ration item known as the Hospital Five-in-One. It became the standard issue item with the G-ration in June 1944. Subsequently, it was issued along with the more widely used C-Ration, which remained in inventory in the postwar era. Finally, the opener was issued in all Army field rations. The Marines picked it up and dubbed it the "John Wayne," apparently because of its toughness or because the actor demonstrated it in a training film. Soldiers and Marines didn't really need to watch the film, though, because written instructions and a drawing printed on the can opener's paper pack showed how easy it was to use. . US. Army C-Rations. Note the P-38 can opener in the bottom left-hand corner. The P-38 was originally included in every individual ration accessory pack. U.S. Army photo The P-38 was designed to be disposable. The Army assumed soldiers would throw them away after opening their ration cans and began putting one P-38 in every individual ration accessory pack. But no smart soldier ever discarded his P-38. There might always arise a situation in which he might be unable to eat because he did not have a can opener. Once the Army realized that most soldiers were saving the device, it started placing fewer of them in each case of C "rats." Although soldiers kept the P-38 to open their rations, they also retained it because it was an invaluable field tool. According to an article by Maj. Renita Foster in the Pentagon's newspaper in 1986, the P-38 could clean muddy boots, screw screws, open letters, strip wires, trim threads on uniforms, and sharpen pencils. The P-38 can be used to open cardboard boxes, including the cartons containing Meals Ready to Eat. Some claim that the P-38 could be used to set the points on a car engine, because the thickness of the steel was just right for the point gap. Many a soldier hung his P-38 with his dog tags around his neck. The P-38 disappeared as an issue item in the Army, but some still carry them today, often on a key ring after acquiring it from a family member or friend or purchasing it. (N.O.S)-new old stock {{this is a new item an original}} item will be posted standard mail in Australia for contact,,,,,,, kevshome@netspace.net.au direct deposit is good pickup is fine money order is ok (paypal is for over seas buyers only or any body else) please contact me when payment is made and leave item name or your name on payment so I know who it is from look carefully,choose wisely

Price: 8.5 AUD

Location: Home Hill, QLD

End Time: 2024-12-23T20:59:24.000Z

Shipping Cost: 13.71 AUD