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WWII 'Kit, Emergency Sustinance (Aids Box) Type E-3C' 1945
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 10:41 pm
by QuickBricks
**** Edit **** Thank you everyone for your help, especially texrdnec for correctly ID'ing this kit for me!
Hi everyone,
Here is a great WWII flask I aquired recently and am having trouble ID'ing this properly. The seller called this
a 'C-1' ration which I was not able to find any documentation on this 'C-1'
I know there is a C-1 survival vest but the only rations on there I know of are the Emergency Parachute Rations (x2)
I know the C-1 has medical things in it and food items, but those are not in anything like this flask as far as I can see.
There was one other picture online that said that it was an E-17 flask. I know these were supposed to be for jungle type
settings and that Hershey Tropical Bars were almost always in all E-17 kits, at least through my research that I did.
I would love some insight into the name of this kit so I can document it properly through 3-D imaging and online.
Cheers for anyone who can help or who just enjoys these like I do! If you need more photos to ID, please let me know, I have many.
Re: Need Help ID'ing this WWII survival kit flask
Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2021 7:45 am
by blue87fj60
That flask some type of Bakelite?
Re: Need Help ID'ing this WWII survival kit flask
Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2021 9:40 am
by donaldjcheek
It looks like you have a near-complete E-3A Flyer's Personal Aids survival kit.
These were produced in ethyl cellulose with a clamp-on lid secured by a wire bail, and screw cap spout. The E-3A was designed to fit in the shirt pocket; once the contents were removed, the kit could be used as a water carrier, holding about 8 oz. Directions for use were screen printed on the front of the flask.
Contents varied somewhat between the Army and the Navy, but it looks like you have the US Army Air Forces version, which when complete, contained:
-clear plastic match case with 15-20 matches
-2 pkgs bouillon powder
-2 x 2-oz bars chocolate
-1 box (about 5 each) caramels
-4 sticks or tablets chewing gum
-small tube of antiseptic ointment
-Benzedrine Sulfate tablets
-Halazone water purification tablets
-aspirin tablets
-4 inch hacksaw blade
-small button-style compass
The E-3A flask as issued was sealed with a long strip of friction tape wound horizontally around the join of the lid and the flask proper. Airmen were instructed to carefully rewind the tape around the body of the flask for reuse.
The US Navy version was similar, but substituted an "emergency ration" (lipid-sucrose tablets) for the chocolate & caramels, and added atabrine anti-malarial tablets and sulfaguanidine tablets for diarrhea.
Hope this helps.
Re: Need Help ID'ing this WWII survival kit flask
Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2021 10:18 am
by texrdnec
super nice!
that's an E-3C as referenced in "survival & rescue equipment of wwii: army air forces and u.s. navy volume 2" pg. 183
Re: Need Help ID'ing this WWII survival kit flask
Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2021 6:44 pm
by QuickBricks
blue87fj60 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 7:45 am
That flask some type of Bakelite?
It's actually called ethyl cellulose.
I think it's like a thicker material made of the same stuff the cellophane is
on products like ciggarette packs, but I am not positive.
Re: Need Help ID'ing this WWII survival kit flask
Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2021 6:47 pm
by QuickBricks
donaldjcheek wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 9:40 am
It looks like you have a near-complete E-3A Flyer's Personal Aids survival kit.
These were produced in ethyl cellulose with a clamp-on lid secured by a wire bail, and screw cap spout. The E-3A was designed to fit in the shirt pocket; once the contents were removed, the kit could be used as a water carrier, holding about 8 oz. Directions for use were screen printed on the front of the flask.
Contents varied somewhat between the Army and the Navy, but it looks like you have the US Army Air Forces version, which when complete, contained:
-clear plastic match case with 15-20 matches
-2 pkgs bouillon powder
-2 x 2-oz bars chocolate
-1 box (about 5 each) caramels
-4 sticks or tablets chewing gum
-small tube of antiseptic ointment
-Benzedrine Sulfate tablets
-Halazone water purification tablets
-aspirin tablets
-4 inch hacksaw blade
-small button-style compass
The E-3A flask as issued was sealed with a long strip of friction tape wound horizontally around the join of the lid and the flask proper. Airmen were instructed to carefully rewind the tape around the body of the flask for reuse.
The US Navy version was similar, but substituted an "emergency ration" (lipid-sucrose tablets) for the chocolate & caramels, and added atabrine anti-malarial tablets and sulfaguanidine tablets for diarrhea.
Hope this helps.
Awesome thanks for the information! It is actually an E-3C, like what texrdnec stated below. It seems there are several flask kits that have different names as they tried
to fine tune the contents based on the needs and demands of the actual users of these items, the troops. Funny story, the ebay seller and I got into it as he was calling this something
completely wrong (and being rude to me about it when I asked him about it haha) but we both ended up not knowing what to name it, with him being wrong and me just admitting I had no idea what it was
called.
Re: Need Help ID'ing this WWII survival kit flask
Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2021 6:50 pm
by QuickBricks
texrdnec wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 10:18 am
super nice!
that's an E-3C as referenced in "survival & rescue equipment of wwii: army air forces and u.s. navy volume 2" pg. 183
I just received that book from Amazon about 1 hour ago and have been reading through it until right now!
And, yes! You are absolutely correct on the name of this survival kit. It is an E-3C just as stated on page 183
and aside from a couple missing things like the gumn 1 boullion, and benzedrine container, it is identical in contents,
although it's been slightly rearranged in the container.
Thank you for assisting! I actually bought that book last night on one day shipping after I read your post. I had it in my checkout
chopping cart but didn't pull the trigger until I saw your post stating it was in that book. Thanks again.
Re: WWII 'Kit, Emergency Sustinance (Aids Box) Type E-3C' 1945
Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2021 7:09 pm
by texrdnec
Dustin knows his shit, he's over on usmilitariaforum if you ever get something that stumps everybody else
Re: WWII 'Kit, Emergency Sustinance (Aids Box) Type E-3C' 1945
Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 10:55 pm
by QuickBricks
texrdnec wrote: ↑Sat Dec 11, 2021 7:09 pm
Dustin knows his shit, he's over on usmilitariaforum if you ever get something that stumps everybody else
Awesome, great to know. I check that site out every now and then. So much wealth of info. And the pictures
they have there are amazing.
I'll look for Dustin when I get stumped next
