US M1956 1 Quart Canteen Cover and Canteen Dated 1966.
The cotton M1956 cover had a felt lining and was designed to carry the 1-quart canteen and cup. It attached to the pistol belt via a pair of slide keepers and was closed with two snap fasteners. In Vietnam the covers were also used as pouches to carry spare magazines by SOG recon men and Infantry LRRP / Ranger units.
The olive drab plastic polyethylene 1-quart canteen was first produced in 1962 and replaced the M1910 aluminum model. It featured a plastic screw cap with an attaching strap.
The M1956 cotton cover with felt lining was engineered to secure the 1-quart canteen and cup to the pistol belt via slide keepers and dual snap fasteners. Vietnam-era SOG recon teams and LRRP units repurposed these covers as magazine pouches. The olive drab polyethylene canteen, introduced in 1962, replaced the earlier aluminum M1910 model and featured a plastic screw cap with integral strap attachment.
