by
bourguignotte
Hello Opex,
Thanks a lot for your kind note.
They are so many interetseing little stories around helmets. I think that's also what makes them so nice to collect.
Concerning your comment concerning M1 helmets, they were widely used in indochina and even at the begining of Algeria.
Usualy, at that time they were worn by officiers and old soldiers in order to distinguish from the crowd of non Professional soldiers requested to serve in this conflict.
That said, and back to your comment about the fact they were worn at the belt, it is true they weren't that used during operations.
I think this is linked to the nature of the field and clearly, bush hat and caps were far more confortable.
Therfore, for defensive position or during huge battle like Na San or Dien Bien Phu, they were largely used.
It was also the case for Paratroopers that were, by default, in all "hot" positions.
In Algeria too. Some commenders asked their troups to were them. They were call "chapeau en peau de locomotive" (Train skin hat).
All the best
Bruno
Bookmarks