First I would like to wish all my fellow veterans a good day.
I shall forgo my usual post on my unit and experiences as an army veteran….and I would like to look at a piece of invaluable equipment each of us grunts had on our person.
That piece of invaluable equipment was the P-38.
The most well known P-38 is that of the plane flown in WW2…..
No not that….but something that was more useful for the average GI than some fancy plane….
Far down on the list of important inventions essential to victory in World War II is a modest gadget built of stamped metal called the GI Pocket Can Opener—commonly known as the P-38 can opener—which was used by American troops in the field to sever the lids off combat rations. Despite its small stature and relative obscurity, many consider it to be the most perfect tool ever developed by the U.S. Army.
Simple in design, efficient in use, and diverse in application, the P-38 was an ideal complement to the canned meat and bread components contained in C-Rations, a staple of military feeding for more than four decades. The little two-piece hinged device constructed of hardened steel never seemed to break, never lost its edge, and its rugged versatility always provided a quick solution in situations other than its original intent. Soldiers regarded the P-38 as their personal, government-issued Jack-of-all-trades.
“When we had C-Rations, the P-38 was your access to food, making it the hierarchy of needs,” retired Army Colonel Paul Baerman told the Army Times. “Then soldiers discovered it was an extremely simple, lightweight, multipurpose tool. I think in warfare the simpler something is and the easier access it has, the more you’re going to use it. The P-38 had all of those things going for it.”
The official Department of Defense nomenclature for the cutting utensil is Opener, Can, Hand, Folding, Type I, jargon longer in print than its actual 11/2-inch length. Sealed in a paper wrapper to ensure cleanliness and packed inside combat rations, GIs soon realized the small opener with the long-winded title could do much more than open C-Rats. In a pinch it might be used as a screwdriver to help field strip a weapon, cut seams on a uniform, or scrape mess kits clean. To accomplish a mission it could strike flint, measure inches, strip wire, deflate tires, adjust a carburetor, or pick inside a wound. Need a box cutter, marking tool, or decorations on a makeshift Christmas tree? The usefulness of the P-38 seemed boundless, and like many great inventions its origin was humble.
The P38 Can Opener: WWII’s “Other” P-38
In the dark days before MREs….Any veteran older than 40 will remember this utensil with extreme fondness ….as I do.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
Though I usually had one squirreled away somewhere……I served in the MRE age. I wasn’t impressed with the food, but enjoyed the MRE heater that came in every meal.
Nothing better than the old beans and franks….and canned peaches. chuq
I’ve carried a number of P-38’s on my keychain for most my life…. even used it in a pinch. Although many I carried were lost to the TSA because they consider it a weapon.
I still have one of my originals and yes they do come in handy at times. chuq
Great idea for this unusual tribute to a useful tool, chuq.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanx Pete I am glad you liked it. chuq
I was a grunt in the Army phase of my military experience and being young and dumb, I was pretty much fond of everything the Supply Depot had issued to me …. I loved coffee strong enough to walk drank from that large aluminum “Cup” in my mess kit, I loved the steamy barrels of boiling water where we washed out mess gear after meals ….I loved the schedule of a total of 15 minutes to get into the mess hall, find a seat, eat the meal and get out in 15 minutes total …I loved marching in the driving rain with full gear… all 80 pounds of it….I loved the smell of the oil that I used to clean my M-1 rifle….I loved the smell of cordite at the firing range….I loved drinking 3.2% beer with my buddies in the service club…. I loved three-day passed to Louisville, Kentucky where I could stay in the Sheraton Seelbach hotel and explore the town ….go sit on the floor in a GI-oriented pussy show (Burlesque)…. Ironing my shirts to the sound of blaring country music from personal radios in the barracks …..Mail Call and cookies from home …..I loved it all…. and the Air Force was interesting and I learned a lot about a lot of things but Old MacNamara had us changing specialties so often I could never make any significant rank for the 4 years I was in…..But all-in-all, it was some of the best days of my youth….
Did you ever have need of a P38? chuq
Don’t remember it….
That is a shame a great tool for some many things. chuq
I had a swiss army knife once.
Still have mine….chuq
John sorry but I am once again having a problem commenting and liking…..help if you can thanx chuq
I am getting your comments alright.
Great it just did not look like it on my end. chuq
We live in a free society because of veterans who put their lives on the line to protect our democracy…don’t see how anyone could ever support someone who denigrates them –
I agree…I do not like some things the military does but I would never belittle a fellow vet for serving his country. chuq
https://pacificparatrooper.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/16-169995_illustration-of-national-salute-veterans-day-all-branches-e1699731125120.png
Thanx hope you had a good day. chuq
Yes sir, thank you. And yours?
😎
I bet most people who served during the C ration days still have a P-38 somewhere in their junk drawer or, even, on their key ring. They had a handy hole in them. I think I lost mine in a move. Anyway, you capture the magic of this simple but almost universally useful tool in your post.
I have one left of my originals….the older I get the more some memories flood back….glad you liked the post…..chuq