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Vietnam Era M1 with Cover

Article about: Not sure if this is the correct place to post this thread but I just got this Vietnam era M1 helmet from a buddy of mine that served in Vietnam. This was NOT his helmet, but he said he picke

  1. #11

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    Thank y'all for the replies! I'll check the liner for a date whenever I get back home; any idea what type of liner this is? It looks different from other ones that I've come across lately

  2. #12

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    I think the nylon liner came into use around 1966.

  3. #13

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    Just a few observations on this helmet: yes, it's a put together. The cover is a nice early ERDL that's unfortunately been ruined by somebody with a magic marker. The nylon helmet liner came into manufacture in 1966 but by the early 70's was modified to use the removable webbing via studs. Please note this is an Airborne helmet liner. An uncut VN era M66 helmet liner is a nice score. The steel shell is what it is- as noted, built korean-war ish and reworked at a later date, probably before the late 70's due to chinstrap style. The camouflage band is VN era, nice, but the ink inscription of "Go Army" is probably much later- I want to say the 80's maybe? Still, kicking that side against the helmet will still make it display well with another early ERDL or Mitchell cover. Fun fact; The Marines did not (and still do not) issue the elastic band for helmets. It's not a Marine thing, by and large, and is out of place on a Marine helmet (However. Having been one myself, I can attest that "Jarheads" can and will steal anything an "Army Dog" leaves unattended, so it is not impossible for it to appear in isolated cases) . Oh, and Airborne helmet liners are a no-no for Marine helmets as well; Marine Airborne qualified personnel are a very tiny minority and the Corps may have had a few but the vast majority are going to be "Liner Ground Troops". So now you have a standard helmet shell, an Airborne liner, A (unfortunately) ruined cover, and a salvageable camo band. Overall, nice score. It's a bit of everything. You can just tuck the Airborne Yokes into the shell for display (with a new cover! Please!) or go whole hog and try to scrounge up an M1C strap set, which will cost you. I myself would sell off the liner, which should net you enough to get a proper GT liner and a nice cover for a VN helmet display.

  4. #14

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    Thanks for the reply! I'll definitely keep my eye out for another elastic band and cover

  5. #15

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    Quote by cammobunker View Post
    Just a few observations on this helmet: yes, it's a put together. The cover is a nice early ERDL that's unfortunately been ruined by somebody with a magic marker. The nylon helmet liner came into manufacture in 1966 but by the early 70's was modified to use the removable webbing via studs. Please note this is an Airborne helmet liner. An uncut VN era M66 helmet liner is a nice score. The steel shell is what it is- as noted, built korean-war ish and reworked at a later date, probably before the late 70's due to chinstrap style. The camouflage band is VN era, nice, but the ink inscription of "Go Army" is probably much later- I want to say the 80's maybe? Still, kicking that side against the helmet will still make it display well with another early ERDL or Mitchell cover. Fun fact; The Marines did not (and still do not) issue the elastic band for helmets. It's not a Marine thing, by and large, and is out of place on a Marine helmet (However. Having been one myself, I can attest that "Jarheads" can and will steal anything an "Army Dog" leaves unattended, so it is not impossible for it to appear in isolated cases) . Oh, and Airborne helmet liners are a no-no for Marine helmets as well; Marine Airborne qualified personnel are a very tiny minority and the Corps may have had a few but the vast majority are going to be "Liner Ground Troops". So now you have a standard helmet shell, an Airborne liner, A (unfortunately) ruined cover, and a salvageable camo band. Overall, nice score. It's a bit of everything. You can just tuck the Airborne Yokes into the shell for display (with a new cover! Please!) or go whole hog and try to scrounge up an M1C strap set, which will cost you. I myself would sell off the liner, which should net you enough to get a proper GT liner and a nice cover for a VN helmet display.
    Sorry just need to disagree with a couple of things you have said here. These nylon liners that you call M66 are are actually P64 liners and were massed produced from 1964 onwards, with prototype models trialled in the early 1960s. It was also very common for Marines and army units to be issued these airborne liners and M1C helmets and there are plenty of period pictures to testify to this fact. I will post some up as soon as I can.

  6. #16

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    Pictures of troops in Vietnam issued with M1C helmets
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Vietnam Era M1 with Cover   Vietnam Era M1 with Cover  

    Vietnam Era M1 with Cover   Vietnam Era M1 with Cover  

    Vietnam Era M1 with Cover  

  7. #17

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    Quote by Redstalker View Post
    Sorry just need to disagree with a couple of things you have said here. These nylon liners that you call M66 are are actually P64 liners and were massed produced from 1964 onwards, with prototype models trialled in the early 1960s. It was also very common for Marines and army units to be issued these airborne liners and M1C helmets and there are plenty of period pictures to testify to this fact. I will post some up as soon as I can.
    Well, I'm using the commonly accepted nomenclature for the nylon helmet liner. I don't know where you are getting P64 as a helmet liner designation since pretty much nothing in the US is ever degnated "pattern" anything..It's MXX. Yes, there were troop trials and testing for the nylon liner as early 1962? I believe, but the type is generally accepted to have entered the supply system in 1966, although I welcome documentation showing otherwise.
    As to the photos, yup, the first three seem to show Marines (the first in particular is a documented photo of a Mortarman of 2/7 outside Da Nang in 1967) with Airborne cradles and, weirdly, the accompanying chinstrap which I can guarantee was not a standard issue item for US Marines. The last two photos are almost certainly not Marines. The M-60 team have no flak jackets, which was not uncommon for the Army, but pretty uncommon for the Marines, there being a Marine Corps order requiring their wear that was pretty strenuously enforced down to platoon level, and the last soldier is wearing the standard US Army setup of helmet with elastic band.
    The point being, it was not common (despite there being a few photos in existence) of Marines being issued Airborne liners, any more than it was common to see Marines wearing berets (although they did exist), carrying ARVN rucksacks or US Army lightweight tropical rucksacks (although that happened too), or using US WW2 frogskin helmet covers (that, too, happened). Were there one-offs? Sure there were. How did the Airborne liners get into the Marine supply system? Who knows? Beg, barter, steal, mis-routed from the DLA facility, just scavenged from inattentive US Army soldiers, bought on the black market, it's hard to say.
    Now Army troops using Airborne liners is indeed common and correct since the Army owned the Airborne and the Airborne liner and the accompanying chinstrap are, indeed, standard US Army issue gear. Oddly, many Airborne qualified troops would get standard liners while "leg" troops might get Airborne cradles just randomly through the supply system.
    Oh, and about elastic bands- they are easily lost and it's not uncommon to see "field expedient" versions made of old innertubes or big rubber bands being used. Marines did use these on occasion, and I've seen several photos with them wearing what can only be described as "macrame" bands made from what appears to be braided parachute cord or some type of indigenous rope/cordage. I want to say there was an order for Marines to not put things like cigarette packs or other items that would detract from the camouflage of the helmet cover into any kind of helmet band, and some commands are supposed to have banned any kind of elastic band from the helmet to prevent this. I don't have any documentation to back that up though, I'm just working from memory.

  8. #18

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    I’ve only ever heard of liners referred to as P64 1964, P55 1955, P51 1951 never with M prefix before and not just on this forum but many other forums and also when these liners are for sale on eBay by many different sellers. Don’t want to say you’re wrong and I’m right or vice versa but it’s a funny thing when it comes to militaria collecting how things are termed. I will do some digging around over designations for liners, it’s important as a collector to keep to keep to the facts but also keep an open mind as things are not always black and white. I have another picture here for you of President Lyndon Johnson with members of the 3rd Bn., 27th Marine Regiment as they depart El Toro for Vietnam. I can see at least 4 Marines with M1C liners and who knows the others may have cut off the A-frames or just hooked them up inside the liner. I have also heard of sailors being issued with M1C liners so maybe there was a shortage of type 1 liners and an abundance of type 2 liners. This is what makes collecting so interesting
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Vietnam Era M1 with Cover  

  9. #19

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    Just another look around the internet and so many pics of marines with M1C liners. The best one is of the inside of a marines M1 and you can see the chin cup hooked up under the webbing suspension. I wonder how many did this and so on period pictures you think they are just using a standard liner but it could be an M1C with the chin cup hooked up
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Vietnam Era M1 with Cover   Vietnam Era M1 with Cover  


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