Model 1874 Shovel Cover, Argentina Army, Ejército Argentino, EA, M1874 Spaten, Schanzzeug, Schanzzeugtasche

I had the opportunity to purchase a couple of VERY hard to find shovel covers the other day.  The early covers are always hard to find, but to find two of them was a real score.

These two covers were used by the Argentina Army starting back around 1874, and into the 1970's, and probably, to some extent, into the 1980's.

First off, here is my "blog posting disclaimer".  There is very little information that can be found about the military equipment of Argentina.  There are a couple of books that were published in Argentina, but they are not readily available outside the country.  There are also very few collectors who seem to know much about this old equipment.  So, what I will be presenting today, will be what I have gathered from old photographs, some translations here and there, and looking at a number of photos of Argentinian gear online.  If I miss anything, or get it wrong, I apologize.  I will be updating this posting as I find additional information, or make corrections as needed.  If any of my readers have information, pleas email me.  My contact information is on my bio-page on the sideline of the blog. 

Argentina was heavily influenced by the Prussian Army, and then the German Army, starting in the late 1800's.  In the 1930's, they further aligned the army with the German models and styles of uniforms, helmets and field equipment.  In fact, by the 1930's, a soldier in the Argentina Army looked nearly identical to a soldier in the German Army!

The first entrenching tools that were adopted by Argentina were the "Linnemann" style shovels.  In fact, the old flat spades are still referred to as Linnemann tools in Argentina.
You can read an outstanding history of the Linnemann tools over at this blog:
https://m55q.weebly.com/linnemann.html

The earliest shovels that show up in Argentina were the Model 1874 "Kleines Spaten für Infanterie", or small infantry shovels made by Germany.  These shovels were the German copies of the original Linnemann spades.  The early shovels in the Argentina Army are marked with German manufacturers stamps.  Later, Argentina started producing their own version of the shovel using domestic Argentina manufacturers.

The earliest, leather, shovel covers that were adopted by Germany were the Model 1874 style, with a single leather belt hanger.  The next versions and had two belt hangers and were considered the Model 1909 carrier.

M1874 cover on left, M1909 cover on right.

Both styles were used by Argentina.  I believe that the single hanger style carriers were obtained from Germany with the shipment of the first, German produced, Model 1874 shovels.
This would place the two covers that I have, as some of the earliest carriers used, probably back in the 1870's or 1880's.  By 1909, the single hanger covers were obsolete, and they began using the two hanger style covers.

The spade type shovels continued to be used by Argentina well into the 1960's and 1970's.  At some point, probably in the 1960's, Argentina started painting all of the old leather field gear with olive green paint.  I believe this was a cheap attempt to "modernize" the old field gear and have it match the new, "modern", US style, field uniforms and gear.  In the 1960's or 1970's, Argentina started manufacturing their own version of the US tri-fold shovel.  These were domestically produced.  I was probably not long after the introduction of the tri-fold shovels, that the old flat spades were phased out.

Each of my shovel covers have a slightly different single belt hanger.  One is longer than the other, and one is sewn, "sandwiched", between the front and back leather pieces, and the other is sewn to the outside.  You can see the differences in the photo below.

Both of the covers have faint "EAC" stamps, which stand for Ejército Argentino, or the Argentina Army.  The "C" in the stamping may mean cavalry, but that is just a guess.  The leather is very worn, on both covers, so the stampings are not very clear.

There is also a manufacturer's stamp on one of the hangers.  Again, too worn to read clearly.  I believe that this one is the oldest of the two (the one with the shorter hanger).

There are also letter, and number, stampings on both of the covers, which are most likely unit or inventory indicators.  The letter and number styles are the old type, circa WW1 or earlier.

You can see where much of the green paint is peeling off of the leather.  It appears that some type of latex paint was used, which would also point to a 1970's time frame for the paint application.

Well, that just about exhausts my knowledge of these covers, so let's get on with the photo album!  Enjoy.  (The shovels pictured in the photos are a couple of my old Russian spades from the WW1 era.  Similar to the original Linnemann spades).

US Model 1910 Shovel Cover, T-Handle M1910 Entrenching Tool Carrier, 1942 B.B.S. Co. , Original and Reproduction Comparison, WW2 US 10th Mountain Division

A while back I did a posting on a reproduction, WW2, Model 1910 T-Handle shovel cover that I aged and set up for display.  If you will recall, I picked up the reproduction because I was still trying to find a good, original example.  Well, the hunt is over.  I found one!

I spotted a "boy scout shovel" for sale that was actually a Model 1943, US folding shovel, in a WW2 dated, Model 1910, original, T-Handle shovel cover.  The best part is, I picked the combo up for less than $20 usd delivered!  I love it when I find an unexpected deal like that!

This cover was made in 1942 by the B.B.S. Company.

The printed maker's mark and date are a bit faded on my cover, so here is a clearer shot from another cover to give you a better idea of what the new marking would look like.

I'm not sure what the B.B.S. stands for, but I do know that it was a maker that is fairly commonly encountered.  What is rare, is the fact that this cover is one of the US 10th Mountain Division covers!

UPDATE:  One of my readers left a comment on my WW2, M1910 shovel page that reveals the actual company name that "B.B.S. Co." stands for.   " Hi there, ref your mountain shovel cover. B.B.S. Co. is ‘Brauer Bros. Shoe Co.’ It is one of the less common makes of manufacturer of mountain cover I’ve come across and quite sought after. Hope this helps. "  Mystery solved!

What makes this a Mountain Division Cover, is the placement of the hook hanger on the back.

The standard covers have the hook at the top of the cover.  The 10th Mountain Division needed the shovels to ride higher on the mountain rucksack - packs, so they manufactured covers with the hanger at the bottom of the cover.  Later, these covers were used in the South Pacific on the Jungle Packs, but they were initially modified for the Mountain Troops.

Mt. Div. Cover on left, Standard Issue on right.

These WW2 dated covers were only made for a very short time, 1942 - 1943.  In 1943, the US adopted the Model 1943 Entrenching Tool.  The Model 1943 was the classic folding shovel.  The Model 1910 T-Handle shovels were then rendered obsolete for issue, or were relegated to state-side reserve troop use until the entire military could be reequipped with folding shovels.

My cover pairs very nicely with my 1943 dated, US Model 1910 T-Handle shovel.  It has that "been there, done that" look, which is always nice for a display item.
You can read about my 1943 dated Model 1910 shovel here:
 https://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2016/03/us-model-1910-t-handle-shovel-dated.html

Before we get to the photo album for this new cover, I thought I'd do a quick comparison of the original cover and the reproduction that I aged.   It is interesting to see them side-by-side.  The original is on the left side in the photos.

You can read more about the replica shovel cover here:
https://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2020/02/m-1910-model-1910-us-t-handle-shovel.html

Now let's take a closer look at the new Model 1910 T-Handle cover.

USFS McCleod Tool, Wildland Fire Fighting Tool, U.S.F.S. US Forest Service, Early Model, Olympic National Forest, Restoration

Well, today we'll be taking a break from the recent parade of old military shovels, to take a look at a very unique wildland fire fighting tool from my collection.

 Those of you who have cut some fire lines back in the "golden age" of wildland firefighting, should recognize this tool.  It is a McCleod tool. 
The tool next to it is my USFS Pulaski.  You can read about the Pulaski in my blog posting here:
https://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2015/11/us-forest-service-pulaski-fss-woodings.html

I had to clear out a patch of burr clover back behind the bunker, so, I took the opportunity to pull out my old USFS McCleod tool. 
For those of you who don't know about Burr Clover, you can read about that nasty plant here:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/burr-medic-weed.htm

It was great to have a McCleod in hand again, but I have to tell you, it seemed like WAY more work to "cut line" than it did when I was 35 years younger!  The photo below is from my time with the Butte County Fire Department / CDF, back in the 1980's.

1984 Butte County Fire Department / Calif. Dept. of Forestry CDF

I picked up this McCleod tool locally, here on the Olympic Peninsula.  It was in rough shape, but the head was solid.  The handle was snapped off, and only a stub remained attached to the head.  The wood was extremely weathered, but it was clearly marked as a US Forrest Service tool!

This McCleod is one of the early models that found their way into the forest service.  The McCleod tool was invented by Malcom McCleod, in 1905.  Malcom was a US Forest Service Ranger assigned to the Sierra National Forest, in California.  

Here's a link to a page with some great photos of early USFS and CCC crew firefighting equipment.  You'll find a list of albums down near the bottom of the web page:
https://foresthistory.org/research-explore/us-forest-service-history/policy-and-law/fire-u-s-forest-service/u-s-forest-service-fire-suppression/ 

Here is a history of the US Forest Service from it's beginning, back in 1905. There are quite a few pages, filled with outstanding history and photos:
http://npshistory.com/publications/usfs/fs-650/sec2.htm

My particular tool is unmarked, but based on the weathering, and construction, I would place it before WW2.  How far back before the 1940's, I really can't say, but it is definitely an old one.

For many years, the McCleod was one of the main tools used for cutting wildland fire line when fighting grass and forest fires.  Even today, the McCleod will be found on the fire lines with various Federal, State and local fire crews.  The blade side can scrape the ground back to dirt, and the rake side can quickly clear loose debris.  When the McCleod was not on the fire line, it was often found doing trail work or other forest maintenance tasks.  In fact, today it is still a favored tool for trail builders. 

They are awkward to carry, and store, but they do a great job at clearing ground!  The perfect tool for my burr clover job.

My tool obviously needed some restoration work.  I started out by removing the broken handle.  I cut out the section that had been "branded" USFS and still had some of the remaining red and black handle marking paint.  I would use this section later when I installed the "new" handle.

The head was worked over with a file to give it a "regulation" blade edge, and the entire surface was sanded and wire brushed to remove rust.  I kept most of the original patina, and matched the bright metal portions (exposed while cleaning) with liquid gun bluing.

I then salvaged a solid, but nicely aged, handle off of a newer shovel.  Several hours of sanding, staining, and "aging" later, and I was ready to "brand" it with a USFS marking, and bands of red and black paint.  The USFS brand was hand carved, and then the brand, and paint bands, were roughed up, "aged", and blended to match the handle, and original character of the tool. 

The red and black bands of paint are often seen on fire tools that appear in USFS photos from the 1970's and 1980's.  I am not sure though, when the color scheme first appeared.

I fitted the handle to the head, and reattached it using steel rivet-nails that were very similar to the originals.

The "Museum Restoration" was complete!  The McCleod is right at home in the Bunker, next to my USFS Pulaski, as well as out back, grubbing out burr clover.

To finish things up, here are two albums.  The first is the "before restoration" album, and the second is the finished tool album. 

Before Restoration:

The Finished McCleod Tool: