1943 dated, US M-43 Entrenching Tool - Shovel with First Model Cover, Wood manufactured M43, M-43 Folding Shovel, WW2, Wade Brown Company marked cover, dated 1943

For those of you who follow the blog, you know that I have had my eye out for a Wood company manufactured, 1943 dated, US M-43 Entrenching Tool, otherwise known as a US WW2 folding shovel.

Well, I finally spotted one, and to make it an even better discovery, it also included the First Model cover, with the single, non-adjustable hanger!  Now I have all three of the original manufacturer's branded shovels from 1943:  Wood, American Fork & Hoe, and Ames.

You can read about the other other two at my blog postings here:

https://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2019/02/us-model-1943-intrenching-tool.html

https://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2019/02/model-1943-us-intrenching-tool-folding.html

At some point along the way, this Wood branded shovel received a coat of black paint.  Luckily that coat of paint has mostly worn off, but is still visible here and there on the surface.

The shovel is in beautiful condition, with very clear date and maker marks.  It's a real gem!

These 1943 dated folders were the very first of the Model 1943 folding shovels that were produced for the US Military in WW2.  They were only made for a couple of months before the 1944 production year started, so they can be a bit tough to track down.

Equally tough to find, are the First Model, Model 1943 covers.  These first models had a single, fixed hanger on the back.  I believe that these were also, only produced in 1943.  In 1944, the military phased them out and introduced the adjustable hanger covers.

The covers also included additional leather inside to protect the canvas from the shovel blade.  In the later covers, the backside leather was omitted, and an adjustable attachment hook was added (you can see this Second Model cover in my other US M-43 shovel postings).

This cover is marked nicely, WADE BROWN CO. 1943

Since we've covered most of the background on these Model 1943 shovels in previous posts, lets move right along to the photos.  (be sure to check out the previous links to learn more).