"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
Reibert,
Very nice Berlin Bde Helmet Liner. The decal is in fact for the 6th Infantry Regiment. In the 60's under the Pentomic restructure the 2nd and 3rd Battle Groups of the 6th Infantry were in Berlin until 1963 and then the Army went away from Battle Groups and went with the Brigade structure as well as subordinate battalions. 2nd and 3rd Battalions 6th Infantry were later joined by 4th Battalion 18th Infantry which was later reflagged in 1972 as 4th Battalion 6th Infantry. In 1984 the Infantry Battalions of the Berlin Brigade was once again reflagged as 4th 5th and 6th Battalions of the 502nd Infantry Regiment, which shared identification with 2nd Brigade 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The Helmet liner could have been used by any of the 3 battalions of 6th Infantry at the time in Berlin. What appears to be a serial number in the helmet could possibly identify the Soldier who wore this liner and then we could better determine which Battalion he would have served with. It also looks like the name of the Soldier was blacked out under the number.
A very nice liner and a desirable one for those who collect Berlin Bde regalia. I have a few of the 6th Infantry as well as 502nd liners.
Best regards,
Thank you for sharing
Smitty
I also wanted to add that our helmet liners were issued to us and not used with our regular helmets. The parade liner which is what Reibert has shown us was issued separately. When we would get ready for parade season or special events the parade liners were turned in for a fresh coat of paint and in some cases new decals and the liners were returned to us.
Part of the issue of uniforms and equipment in Berlin were 2 M1 helmet liners (the black parade liner and the regular OD green M1 liner that would go inside the M1 helmet. When I arrived in Berlin in January 1987 the Brigade had just finished turning in the M1 helmet and liner for the PASGT Kevlar helmet. Since the Kevlar had an internal liner/suspension system, we were issued the M1 helmet liner painted black with the Brigade and 502nd insignia on them.
Berlin was my first Active Duty station (1978-81) 3rd Battalion 6th Infantry. I then visited Berlin again when I was stationed in Wuerzburg on a deployment with the Army Reserves from 2004-05. Much ha changed by then as McNair Barracks was being converted into luxury apartments and all that was left of Truman Plaza was the sign and an open field and the motor pool across the street is also gone!!
The movie theater that was at Truman Plaza once housed the Cold War museum. I am not sure if it still exists.
The initial location of the museum was at McNair Barracks at the base of the Clock Tower. They had some impressive items. For a short time after the US forces left the museum was located in the Rod and Gun club building also on McNair next to the 6th Battalion Barracks and right next to the Church which was across the street from the Starlight Club.
There is a member on another forum that has been trying to keep the museum going. he still lives in Berlin and has gathered quite a bit of East German militaria ever since the Berlin Wall came down. I believe he has a warehouse in Potsdam..
Smitty
Yes, just now !
NVA helmet M56 "Early Design".
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