M-1956 load-carrying equipment
equipment
The M-1956 load-carrying equipment (LCE), also known as the individual load-carrying equipment (ILCE), was developed by the U.S. Army and first issued in the early 1960s. The M-1956 LCE was designed to replace the M-1945 Combat Pack, the M-1923 cartridge belt, the M-1936 pistol belt and the M-1937 BAR magazine belt. The M-1956 LCE was designed to be quickly configured, using no tools, to accommodate various mission and ammunition loads. The M-1956 LCE remained in service through the 1980s and set the standard for future United States military load-carrying equipment.
Individual equipment belt and individual equipment belt suspenders
The M-1956 LCE continued application of the belt-supported-by-suspenders concept, adopted by the U.S. Army at least as early as the pattern 1903 equipment. The M-1956 "Belt, Individual Equipment" or pistol belt differed little in form and function from the M-1936 pistol belt and would accommodate any of the pouches and equipment that would mount on the M-1936 belt. The M-1956 pistol belt had size adjustment hardware at both ends and a "ball type" buckle connector. The M-1956 pistol belt was manufactured of olive drab cotton webbing to United States military specification MIL-B-40158 and was produced in two sizes: Medium, for waists under 30-inches (FSN 8465-577-4925), and Large, for waists over 30-inches (FSN 8465-577-4924). Earlier production M-1956 belts have horizontal weft while later production have vertical weft. The belt has a blackened metal buckle and three rows of eyelets.
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This entry incorporates text from “M-1956 load-carrying equipment” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.