Re my #49, all this talk inspired me to open up my change purse and retrieve my P-38. It was fairly grubby (coated with some kind of scum), so I cleaned it up and made it shiny again. To commemorate the occasion, I used it to open a can of refried beans. It was slow, but it worked. As they say, better slow than not at all. Upon doing a little research, I found there was (is?) also a larger version of the P-38 called a P-51. Obviously the designer had the hots for neat WWII fighter planes.

Mine is on my dog tags

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Retired Career Security Guard

Mine is on my keychain but it is getting dull. It's over 40 yrs old.

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

I have one on a keyring that I used to put in my pocket when i was going out in the desert. The keyring had a few other things on it: a screwdriver, spark striker for starting fires and some other stuff I don't remember. Had an SAK in my pocket so I didn' really need it, I guess.

Two years ago i got this rather ratty 1930 Transitional Mauser at a Dallas gun show. It had a rawhide lanyard thrugh the lanyard loop with a P 38 attached to it. The guy I bought it from said it had belonged to his father and he brought it home from the war. I presumed he meant WW II, but the P 38, an all steel one, was stamped US Koolaire, 1952 so it was probably a Korean war relic.

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I got mine mate!
Geoff
Who keeps a couple around just in case.

Stamping on mine is US SHELBY CO. I do not see a date stamp.

From Wikipedia: The original U.S.-contract P-38 can openers were manufactured by J.W. Speaker Corporation (stamped "US Speaker") and by Washburn Corporation (marked "US Androck"); they were later made by Mallin Hardware (now defunct) of Shelby, Ohio and were variously stamped "US Mallin Shelby O." or "U.S. Shelby Co."

I still have mine, with my dog tags. I remember heating rations on a pinch of C-4. Could heat water for really bad instant coffee.
I got my P-38 in 68.

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Carpriver.

Reading the posts here, isn't is amazing that a tool that cost a nickel to make (more like a penny in the old days) could be so appealing to so many people. If I get into the bug-out business I'm going to make sure I have one in my bag because just knowing it was there will make me feel more secure.

Lessee.....string, fishhooks, matches in waterproof container, P38, Swiss army knife, snake bite kit (wait a minute they don't use those any more do they?)...

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I lost my P-38 as well as my TL-29 when we lost our house during Katrina in 2005.

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CSM, U S Army(Ret) 1963-1990

Didn't they include two cigarettes in a box of C rats? I wonder how they fought over those.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

If you check Ebay there are still ration packs with the P38s along with durries.

C Rations: Collectibles | eBay

The P38 has not been seen recently, but we use its big brother whenever a can needs to be opened.



We do NOT own another can opener.

Still have the first one I got in basic training. It's been with me every day since, along with the handcuff key I got in AIT. It's come along too.

Early ones had 4 cigarettes. Later it became 9 cigarettes. But I sure seem to remember some which contained a full pack, Camels, as I remember, but I suppose they could have been any brand. Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me.

I still have a couple.