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M1 helmet with U.S.M.C.
camouflage mosquito net. The net is secured under the arms, with four
long cotton ribbons. These covers were first used during WWII in the
Pacific. They were often used as an ordinary helmet cover with the net
stuck up under the liner. After the war, large quantities of them were
repackaged,
possibly for use in Vietnam. Apparently they where never used, since we
can now buy them, still unused.
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The Type 1
net with Neoprene
band. Shown here on a post WWII helmet. The moisture damaged label with
instructions below.
Compare this net with similar nets here.
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This is a net of the same
form as the one above, but with different mesh. When I bought it, I was
told this was a post war net. However, when I recently read Reynosa*, I
found that the soldier in the photo on page 89 wears this type of net,
thus this must be a variant of the type 1 net.
*Mark A Reynosa, The M-1 Helmet. A History of the U.S. M-1 Helmet in
World War II, Schiffer Military History, 1996, ISBN: 0-7643-0074-1.
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A WWII net. This is the
British net, that were supplied to U.S. troops. It is secured with a
drawstring. The colour is dark olive drab.
The helmet is not WWII.
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Yet another net. Khaki
coloured, 2 Inch mesh. It has a small illegible paper label, on which
I can barely read the letters "U.S."
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And another one. This time
1/3 Inch mesh, and the colour is Olive Drab #7.
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Unknown USMC pattern cover.
Single-sided. It is of the usual six-tounge design, but has no foliage
slits. There are no markings.
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Although highly decorative,
the actual camouflaging properties of the parachute silk is doubtful.
The silk is very shiny. Nevertheless, pieces of parachutes have been
used as covers on the M1.
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The odd olive green cover.
Probably Korean war period. Unissued, but with unmistakable storage
marks of rust and dust. There
are no stamps on this one.
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U.S. M1
with ERDL cover. Green side. Held in place by a neoprene band. This
cover is also known as the 'Mitchell' cover.
These covers where used by Canada as well.
The manual for the 1965 M1 liner can be found here.
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Reverse side of the ERDL
cover.
Below are some stamps from ERDL covers. Contract years: 1967, 1970,
1974 and 1975.
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I now know that this
ERDL cover, with its four large numbers, was used for basic combat
training purposes. The idea was if you were close enough to read the
number through your scope, the soldier with the number was dead.
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What was the use for this
cover with the number 50 stamped twice on the green side of the cover?
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A Vietnam era accessory is
this AN/PRR-9 radio receiver. Two clips secure it on the helmet, which
serves as ground plane. The antenna is 47 cms long. The receiver can
also be used with an ear-piece. I have read that these receivers
where often worn taped to the shoulder strap instead. In that case, the
plastic horn transducer was removed.
 
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The other part of this radio set was the AN/PRT-4 radio transmitter.
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Early Woodland pattern.
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U.S. M1 with Woodland cover.
This is actually a Canadian surplus helmet and cover. They used the
same helmets and covers as the U.S. during the later M1 era. The
picture below shows an example (From another cover) of typical markings
inside these covers. The "-83-" in the second row is the year of the
contract.
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Another M1 era item is this
OPFOR (Opposition forces) "helmet", made to look somewhat like the
Soviet Ssh 40 and its derivates. It is made of rubber or soft plastic,
and is used together with the ordinary liner. The colour is some
strange blue-green. This is a very cheap-looking and simple thing.
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As conclusion of the M1 section
of this page, I show two rank decals for the M1 liner. The first is for
a Specialist, and the second for a Sergeant First Class.
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The PASGT helmet with
Woodland pattern cover. This one has Sergeant insignia sewn on.
The cat-eyes, Neopren band is stamped like the one below. This
particular individual has two stamps, partly overlapping... The text
reads: "BAND HELMET CAMOUFLAGE U S-5".
The PASGT manual can be found here.
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PASGT helmet with the first
six colour desert camouflage, also known as the "chocolate chip"
pattern. The U.S.M.C. eagle, globe and anchor (EGA), insignia
stencilled in front. The six colour uniforms where used in the "Desert
Storm" war, and are now distributed to Iraqi U.S. allied troops.
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Variant without foliage
slits. Because a large amount of these covers were needed quickly for
the Kuwait war, it was decided that the foliage slits were not
necessary, thus making production faster.
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PASGT helmet with tri-colour
desert cover. This is a rip-stop material variant. There is no stamp
inside. Held in place by a green Neoprene band with cat eyes, as
commonly seen in Iraq. The soldier has written his name with ball pen
on front of the band. There are tan bands, but Desert and Woodland
equipment are often seen mixed in Iraq, due to an initial shortage of
Desert camouflage material. The tan bands seem not to be official
issue, but are purchased privately. An example of such a tan band is
seen in the picture to right. Below is an example of rank insignia
(Sergeant) for the desert camouflage covers.
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A variant in cotton.
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Another cotton variant, but
without
foliage slits.
It has one slit in front for the Night Vision Goggles (NVG) mount
screw. On the top is velcro for an Infra-Red (IR) identification patch.
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A cover still in its sealed
plastic bag, with a small bag of anti-moisture agent. No more smelly
anti-molding chemicals!
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The not very often used Snow
cover. The snow covers do not have any foliage slits. The picture below
shows typical markings of the PASGT covers. The fourth row shows that
the contract year of this lot is 1989. The six velcro straps and
the part of the cover that goes inside the helmet is clearly visible
here. The front of the cover is down in this picture.
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PASGT helmet with chemical
protection cover. This cover is used on the M1 as well. The cover is
fit over the ordinary cover, and held in place by an elastic cord. The
material is some kind of soft plastic.
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The MARPAT digital pattern
cover
for the U.S. Marine Corps. This is the single-sided, temperate climate
variant. A special feature of the genuine MARPAT is the small EGA
emblem, that
has been incorporated in the pattern. There is no label or stamp on
this cover.
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This is the single-sided,
desert
variant of the MARPAT cover. This cover, too, lacks any label or stamp.
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This is a double-sided
variant of the MARPAT cover. The label can be seen below.
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The desert camouflage side of
the double-sided cover.
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The classic M-1944 goggles by
Polaroid (Goggle, N-2). These are delivered with a set of three lenses:
clear, polarizing, and red. As the manual says: "These goggles will
protect you against dust, sun, and wind. Use the polarizing lens in
bright light; the clear in dull light; and red lens for providing dark
adaptation." They are marked "GOGGLE M 1944 *T.M.REC.U.S.PAT.OFF."
"USN" "1945".
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The parachutist conversion
set for the PASGT helmet consists of an Ensolite neck pad, a neckstrap
to make the chinstrap 3-point, and a longer screw for attaching the
neckstrap in the back of the helmet. The text on the pad is "CROWN"
with an arrow pointing upwards over it.
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Above is a series of
pictures of the holder for the AN/PVS-7 and AN/PVS-14 night vision
goggles. The first picture shows the extra chinstrap used to stabilise
the helmet. The last picture shows a detail of how this second
chinstrap is attached in the back of the helmet.
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A helmet antenna mount for
the
ballistic helmets. Here shown on a PASGT helmet. This mount consists of
a small pouch with three elastic bands attached. The Velcro lid is hid
beneath the pouch when it is mounted on the helmet. The band to
the right has a small label with the text "BACK". Below is also a
picture of the label from the plastic bag it comes in.
 
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The MILES (Multiple Integrated
Laser Engagement System) was the first U.S. Army combat training system
using laser emitters and sensors. Here is the helmet mounted harness
with its five sensors and electronic unit. More about this system can
be found at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_Integrated_Laser_Engagement_System
This is the early version, now superseded.
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The ACH (Advanced Combat
Helmet) with the reversable cover in 3-colour desert/woodland
camouflage. The picture below shows the back of the cover with the
soldier's name written on top of the cable flap. The two straps, for
securing dust goggles, are attached to
the helmet shell.
 
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The woodland pattern side of
the cover, here with green subdued 3rd Infantry Division patches on
both sides. This cover also has the brown subdued patches on the desert
camouflage side.
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The ACU (Army Combat Uniform)
pattern cover. It has four concealable Infra Red reflecting patches
(The black squares).
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Since the ACH has no brim, the
bracket or mounting plate for the NVG, is different from that for the
PASGT helmet. The plate is now secured on the helmt with a screw, that
goes through the small hole in the front of the helmet. The helmet
covers also have a slot for the screw.
 
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