M-14 Mine Clearance Goggles

[gitana]

I was wondering if anyone is familiar with these. I've never seen any and would like to have a set.

 

During WWII the T45E6 armored goggle was made standard as the M-14 Eye Armor Goggle. This eye protective device is a Hadfield steel shield which is pierced by a pattern of narrow horizontal slits over each eye. The shield is contained by a rubber dust goggle frame.

 

It looks very similar to the Flak goggles, but has a different pattern of slits and is encased in the rubber frame.

 

Flak Goggles

 

M-14 Goggles

[jgawne]

Never seen any for sale in many years of looking.

[gitana]

That's what I thought. I hadn't seen any either but haven't been collecting near as long. I wonder what happened to them. They apparently weren't used during WW2 and were still around in the 1950s. I read somewhere that the Mil Spec was done in the early 1960s. You'd think after all that time they'd be cluttering up all the junk surplus shops in town.

[gitana]

The following are from two different sources (in case anyone is interested): A History of the Development of an Armor Ensemble for Mine Clearance Personnel (Oct 1970) and Wound Ballistics, Chapter XI:

 

Flak armor, developed and used by the Air Force in World War II, was evaluated by the Corps of Engineers for use by mine clearance personnel. The flak armor was rejected because its clumsiness, bulkiness and excessive weight made it impossible for mine clearance troops to accomplish their mission. In December 1944, the Ordnance Corps initiated a project to develop eye defenses against anti-personnel mines. Because of the urgent need for this protection, the Office of the Surgeon General requested that eye defenses be procured as soon as possible with formal requirements to be established later.

 

In May 1945, samples of eye armor were being manufactured by the French Army, and designs to fit the U.S. M1 helmet were collected for testing by the Army Ordnance Department. These models were not considered adequate, and a new series of eye armor, T45, was developed. This consisted of a plate of manganese steel, the same as that in the M1 helmet, and was provided with small vision slits. The entire structure was mounted in a rubber dust-goggle frame. Close coordination between the Ordnance Department, Engineer Corps, Army Ground Forces, and the Office of the Surgeon General showed that the T45E6 was the most acceptable design, and it was standardized on 10 January 1946. Notwithstanding the cessation of hostilities by this time, it was believed that a standard item was required for the clearance of minefields in occupied countries.

MIL-A-3511, Military Specification,

Armor, Eye, M-14

, 1962