In the U.S. Army, pistols tended to be issued to officers and noncommissioned officers, as well as to soldiers who had specialized duties that prevented them from carrying a rifle, such as runners or machine gunners. This pouch held two magazines for the M1911 .45 caliber pistol. This example has an equipment tag attached, which noted the branch, unit, and inventory number of the item. Equipment tags were discontinued after the war.