2021-B
Underwood Subcontractors A-Z
By Dan Pinto This article is focused only on the subcontracted marked parts used by Underwood.
The marking of carbine parts to identify the prime
contractor was a requirement of the Ordnance Department. This way if there was
an issue with parts, Ordnance would know which prime contractor was
responsible. The prime contractor is assumed to be the manufacturer of subcontracted
parts for legal and financial reasons. Ordnance was not concerned with the
subcontractors as their contracts were direct with the prime contractors.(1)
It was up to the prime contractor to assign markings to the
subcontractors for accountability if they chose to do so. Ordnance did lay out
a system of marking where the letter code was the prime contractor first
followed by the subcontractor (Q-LT). I am sure many of you have seen this document and
noted the Ordnance approved marking system was not widely adhered to and with the
addition of other prime contractors this became an issue. (2)
Early on, Ordnance recommended that the system Inland used should
be adopted, where parts were marked subcontractor to prime contractor (LT-Q). (1)
The system had its issues when Standard Products came in and
we see some parts where the S code comes first as well as SS with a number.
(3)
Inland had repetition of the same letter for different
subcontractors that made different parts, B was used on the gas cylinder, firing
pin, recoil plate, and sear but each part was made by a different company.
Further, some companies that produced the same item for more than one prime
contractor did not always have the same subcontractor code. An example would be
firing pins made by Olsen Brothers Machine Tool & Saw Company which used OB
B variations for I.B.M. but used SI for Inland.
With Underwood, we see only one letter in the alphabet was
assigned to each subcontractor with no duplication. Later we see some codes
with two letters for the subcontractor which will be discussed below. Having
one letter code for each subcontractor would lead to some logistical issues
when two companies had the same first letter in their company name.
Logic would dictate that letters would have been assigned in
the order that the contracts were secured with the subcontractor or soon
thereafter and not necessarily when we see those parts showing up.
The first letter of the company name was used if available.
If not, then another part of the company name could be used. If that did not work, it appears that Underwood
would assign the first letter available alphabetically.
We first notice this issue with the subcontracted receivers.
In February 1943, the following 4 contractors were recommended to Underwood as
subcontractors. (4) (5)
Intertype Corporation, Brooklyn NY, was given the first set
of numbers in Underwood’s second serial number block. The letter I was already
in use for International Silver. The
speculation is that Underwood used part of the InterType name and T became
their code with Underwood.
Universal Windings, Cranston RI, was given the second set of
numbers in Underwood’s second serial number block. Underwood used U for another
subcontractor, Union Hardware. Using W for Windings seems logical.
United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Beverly MA, was given the
third set of numbers in Underwood’s second block of serial numbers. The letter U, as discussed, was used by Union
Hardware. Here the S for Shoe appears logical.
Singer Manufacturing Company, Bridgeport CT, was given the
fourth set of numbers in Underwood’s second block. The S code was now taken by
United Shoe Machinery Corporation. M was not feasible for Manufacturing as most
companies had the words manufacturing or machinery in their names. Also, M was
in use for Marlin Firearms Company. It has been theorized that B could have
been for Bridgeport. The problem with this
is that no other code matched a city of the subcontractor, and then why not B for
Brooklyn where Intertype was located.
It is more reasonable that B was the first available letter
not yet used. To follow the theory of alphabetical letter assignments the A would
have had to be assigned before Singer received their contract.
AU
|
Mag Catch
|
Parker Wire Goods/ Parker Manufacturing
Company
|
AU
|
Recoil
|
Parker Wire Goods/ Parker Manufacturing
Company
|
B
|
Receiver
|
Singer Manufacturing. Co.
|
C·U·
|
Bolt
|
Possibly Petroleum Heat and Power. Read Below
|
DU
|
F pin
|
Bruce McDonald
|
EU
|
Ft. Sight
|
Prestole Div. of Detroit Harvester
|
F in Heart ·U·
|
Slide
|
Frederick Hart & Co.
|
G·U·
|
Sear
|
Graham Mfg. Co.
|
H.U.
|
Bolt
|
Possibly Howe Machinery. Read Below
|
IU, IU in Circle
|
Magazine
|
International Silver
|
IU
|
Oiler
|
International Silver
|
JU, JU
|
Trigger
|
Talon Inc.
|
KU
|
Extractor
|
Cinaudagraph Co.
|
LU
|
Magazine
|
M.S. Little Co.
|
M-U
|
Stock & HG
|
Marlin Firearms
|
MU
|
Extractor
|
Marlin Firearms
|
N-U
|
Firing Pin
|
Nolan Machine Co.
|
.O..U. In Circle
|
Slide
|
Oneida Ltd.
|
P U, P-U
|
Stock & HG
|
Pedersen Brothers
|
Q.U.
|
Hammer
|
Utica Cutlery
|
SU
|
Bolt
|
United Shoe Machinery Corporation
|
S
|
Receiver
|
United Shoe Machinery Corporation
|
T
|
Receiver
|
Intertype Corp
|
UU
|
Magazine
|
Union Hardware
|
WU
|
Bolt
|
Universal Windings Co.
|
WU
|
Slide
|
Universal Windings Co.
|
WU
|
Hammer
|
Universal Windings Co.
|
WU
|
Firing Pin
|
Universal Windings Co.
|
W
|
Receiver
|
Universal Windings Co.
|
Ψ ·U·
|
Trigger
|
Neptune Meter Co.
|
LW*, LW U
|
Stock & HG
|
Lumb Woodworking
|
S. & C. U
|
Stock & HG
|
Sprague & Carleton
|
SI U
|
Ft. Sight
|
Simpro Mfg. Co.
|
Note: Underwood used ·U· or ·U· for parts they manufactured and are not covered in
the chart for brevity
AU: Parker Wire Goods was a subcontractor to Underwood. They
were the sole Underwood subcontractor for magazine catches and one of two
subcontractors for their recoil plates. Underwood also manufactured their own
recoil plates and magazine catches.
The only reported subcontracted magazine catch is marked AU.
Therefore, the magazine catch would have to be Parker Wire Goods. Parker also
made the magazine catches and recoil plates for I.B.M.
In comparing Parker Recoil Plates made for I.B.M. (PR-B),
N.P.M. (PN), and Inland (PI) to the AU recoil plate it can be observed that
they all have similar machining direction and marking on all faces. All the
letter codes are in the same location on the side of the tang. Coupled with the
magazine catch and absent any notable variations on the recoil plates makes a
convincing case that the AU recoil plate was made by Parker Mfg. and that A was
their sole assigned code.

Notice how all the shown machining on the AU and PR-B recoil
plates is left and right but the on Underwood made recoil plate, the tang on both
sides has a curved diagonal pattern, as does the bottom. The top surface has
markings going up and down as shown.
The Parker recoil plate contract to Underwood may have been
spurred with the advent of the new recoil plate. To follow the theory of alphabetical letter assignments the A would have had to be assigned before Singer (B) received a contract.
This brings us to the unknown C·U· and H.U. bolts. Four
companies were subcontracted to make bolts for Underwood. SU was used on bolts
made by United Shoe and the WU bolt was made by Universal Windings. This leaves
Petroleum Heat & Power and Howe Machinery that we do not know which code
they were assigned.
The case can be made for either company to be assigned H. In
respect to Petroleum Heat & Power, the P was already in use for Pedersen
Brothers, so H could be for Heat. The H for Howe Machinery would seem obvious,
but if the H were already taken then it would default to the first available
letter assignment.
Petroleum Heat & Power Company was formed in the 1920s
and considered a major concern, having offices in Boston Mass, Providence RI,
and New York NY. Their factory was in Stamford, Connecticut. They were a pioneer
in the oil-burner field and manufactured the industrial oil-burning apparatus to
replace coal-burning units. They also sold and delivered the fuel oil to their
new customers.
Howe Machinery Company president Stanley A. Carlson sat on
the War Production Board. Howe Machinery organized the Passaic Home Workshop
Pool to subcontract and produce essential war materiel which predated the M1
carbine production. It was a co-op of home workshops that worked together for
the war effort.
In comparing two original finish H.U. marked bolts, I see
several inconsistencies in the machining as well as fit and finish. The critical
areas are most probably to specifications. However, the inconsistencies and
evidence of hand filing and deburring are not something you would expect from a
production shop.
Having only one C·U· bolt, I was
not able to make an equal comparison but will say the machining was much nicer
than that of the H.U. bolt.

Two H.U. bolts. The lug on the left measures narrower and it
is accentuated by heavy deburring or hand filing of the edges. Also, note the
lower-left area on front of the lug, the right has more angle to the cut.

Here you can see the wear patterns are different between the
two. Also, note the web thickness variation between the lug and the extractor
plunger cut. These variations are probably due to the machining fixture not
holding the bolts in the same position every time causing inconsistent results.

At the backside of the lug, we again see different wear
patterns from interaction with the slide. Also, notice the rougher machine
finish on the left. This could be from a dull tool bit, but also possible that
it was different feed rates, setups or done on different lathes.
Though not absolute proof, I would say that the H.U. bolt
was most likely produced through Howe Machinery and even more possible that
several of the home shops did piece work on the bolts based on the
inconsistencies. Home shops would probably not have access to the same modern
machinery of a big company with things like automatic feeds which give a
consistent finish.
Considering that Mr. Carlson sat on the War Production Board
it would seem he took care of his own first and Howe was assigned the H code.
This would default the C·U· bolt to Petroleum Heat &
Power
DU firing pins have long been observed on original carbines.
The reporting on firing pins and extractors is less than other components; this
is due to many rightfully not disassembling a bolt absent the proper tools as
well as reporting of carbines at gun shows or auctions where bolts could not be
taken apart.
There are three known subcontractors of firing pins to
Underwood: Universal Windings (WU), Bruce MacDonald Company and Nolan Machine
Company. It is unknown which code DU was assigned, as there were no reports of
any other firing pin marking on original Underwood Carbines.
Recently we had a report of a loose N-U type 1 firing pin. This
report prompted another report of type 2 N-U firing pin.
http://www.uscarbinecal30.com/forum/spotters-report-firing-pins_topic3903.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.uscarbinecal30.com/forum/spotters-report-firing-pins_topic3903.html
Nolan Machine Company produced firing pins for NPM (N-N), QHMC
(N-Q), and Underwood. There is also a firing pin marked N-S which is most
probably is a yet-to-be-found Nolan subcontract to Standard Products.
There is not much machining to compare on firing pins but
sometimes there are obvious differences if you look close enough. The machining
and marking location as well as the fonts are all consistent on these and would
suggest that N-U is Nolan for Underwood
This leaves DU for Bruce MacDonald. The Bruce MacDonald
company also made firing pins for Inland marked BI. Unfortunately, I was unable
to source a good example of the BI Inland firing pin for observation.
Being that the type 1 DU firing pin was observed early on in
Underwood carbines it would suggest that the D is from MacDonald rather than D
being the first available unused letter.
In January 1943, the Carbine Committee’s office located in
Underwood’s head offices in New York City received prototype fabricated stamped
front sights made by Prestole Division of Detroit Harvester. The new front
sight was incorporated in May 1943. (6)
Prestole reportedly provided these front sights to I.B.M. (PO
B), Q.H.M.C (PO Q), Saginaw Grand Rapids (PD over SG), and Underwood.
Looking at QHMC, the only subcontracted stamped front sights
were from Prestol, and we see them with barrel dates starting about September
1943. Markings of PO B, EU, and PO Q as well as unmarked are reported on QHMC
carbines, yet there are no Carbine Industry Integration Committee transfers documented.
It is quite possible that the subcontractor just sent parts where needed
regardless of the markings. This could be especially true after the prime
contractors received word that carbine contracts would soon be canceled.
Comparing the EU to the PO Q and PO B front sights, It becomes clear that the EU
sight was produced by Prestole. The earlier Prestole sights were marked
on the ear, later the marking was moved to the base behind the sight
blade. Underwood must have had plenty of
milled front sights because we do not see the stamped sights till late production.
The E code would have been assigned to Prestole as the first
available letter as P was already taken.
The only other stamped and brazed sights used by Underwood
were those marked SI U by Simpro Manufacturing Company. Simpro also supplied
front sights to I.B.M. (SI B) and reportedly to Saginaw in Grand Rapids. However,
they probably never delivered as no code has been documented.
The SI U marking is one of only four markings that do not
fall in line with the A-Z markings as there is more than one letter used for
the subcontractor. This is probably due to them being latecomers to Underwood
and these companies were already producing for other prime contractors.
Lumb Woodworking provided stocks to I.B.M. (LW B). They also
later supplied stocks to Underwood which were marked LW or LW U
Sprague & Carlton was a stock supplier to I.B.M. (SC B).
These are rarely encountered on Underwood and marked S.&C. U. Sprague & Carlton used
only birch for their stocks.
The addition of Lumb Woodworking and Sprague & Carlton
stocks for Underwood were probably prompted by the stock shortage in late 1943.
Both companies received Ordnance contracts for stock assemblies
as replacement or spares when their contracts were terminated with the prime contractors.
The last marking that does not follow the system are the
triggers made by Neptune Meter Company, which used their trademark trident for
identification. The mark was Ψ ·U·
There was only one other subcontracted trigger for Underwood,
and it has the JU marking. The only other known company is Talon Inc. in Meadville PA. Talon
also made triggers for I.B.M. (TB). In comparing triggers in general there are several
items to observe. Here we will look at a few of the obvious feature
differences. The LT trigger made by Ludlow Typograph Company is shown for comparison and did not make triggers for Underwood.

Note the shape of the bottom of the trigger.

The Ludlow Typograph Company trigger on the left has an
obvious difference just above the blue line. Both the TB and JU have a chamfered
edge at the bottom where the LT is to a rounded point
In comparing a TB to JU there are enough similarities in the
machining and shape to say that the JU was made by Talon. The one observation
that stands out is the different size fonts used. The T was already in use for
Intertype. This would mean that J was the first unassigned letter available.
There were two known subcontractors for Underwood extractors,
MU being Marlin Firearms and the KU extractor is the unknown.
Cinaudagraph Company in Stamford, CT. is listed as the only
other subcontractor to Underwood for extractors. In looking into Cinaudagraph
Company they had several ordnance contracts, but the only known carbine part is
the extractor for Underwood. Therefore, there is no other extractor to compare it
to. The C was previously assigned and K being the first unassigned letter. So by now you you probably understand the mystery of the Q.U. marking for Utica Cutlery to Underwood and had nothing to do with Q.H.M.C.
Five letter markings that were not represented for Underwood
marked parts: R, V, X, Y, Z
The Jewelry Crafts War Production Pool in New York, NY received
a contract to make recoil plates for Underwood. I am unaware of any other coded
recoil plate that could be for an Underwood subcontractor. Looking into Jewelry Crafts I find no contracts for wartime
contracts for M1 carbine parts or any other war materiel. It is possible that
they did not have any Ordnance contracts, or if they did it may have been below
the threshold of reporting. If they had any subcontracts, then the records
would have been with the prime contractor.
In searching I found
only one mention of them in Congressional Records “Report of Smaller War Plants
Corporation” as becoming an approved vendor. The report was in mid-1943 and
covered the previous 6 months. It is unclear just when they were approved and
may have never got into production by the time it was known that carbine contracts
were to be canceled.
Unanswered Questions:
There has been unsubstantiated reports of other markings which may have been in error.
If anyone has observed a recoil plate marked JU or PU or a
front sight marked PU, please share a picture and any information with the
club.
Looking forward to the discussion on my theory of the Underwood
markings.
Citations:
1. Carbine Club Newsletter 206-7
2. Carbine Club Newsletter 202-1
3. Carbine Club Newsletter 384-15
4. War Baby 368
5. Carbine Club Newsletter CCNL 182 conjecture on lettering
6. War Baby pg. 114, 370
War Baby 3 pg. 1110 Marking of Parts. Links of interest:
https://www.waltergrutchfield.net/petroleum.htm" rel="nofollow - https://www.loc.gov/search/?in=&q=Passaic+home+workshop+pool&new=true&st=" rel="nofollow -
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