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General Tire & Rubber Co


Justin
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Hello forum,

 

Does anyone know of a helmet liner manufacturer General Tire & Rubber Co?

 

I brought a nylon dark pea colored helmet liner, which I thought to be an early Vietnam example, but I am stumped by the markings.

 

They are as followed,

 

Webbing: Liner, Helmet, Soldiers Steel T57

Type 1

28 May 1958 QTM QM-1218

 

Sweatband: General Tire & Rubber Co

QM. 28 May 1958

1218. T57-4

 

Nape: General Tire

QM. 1958

1218. T57-4

 

Any insight is appreciated.

 

Justin

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RememberThe5thESB

After doing a small amount of research, I got pointed to some threads on the forum about some AFH-1 or pilot headgear manufactured by General Tire and Rubber Co. I think there's a good possibility that they were just one of the more small time military contracted companies that produced smaller items for every little thing the US needed for the armed forces. Just my opinion, hope it helps.

 

Sent from my SM-J327V using Tapatalk

 

 

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Maybe it was a test sample that company made trying to get a contract with the army?...very interesting...cant wait to see some pics of the liner and markings....mike

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RememberThe5thESB

If it means anything I found an article that talked about General Tire working with the US military in 1944-45, making rubber products such as tires for trucks, jeeps, even life rafts.

I have a good feeling that due to their past involvement with the armed forces, they may have had a smaller branch of the company contracted to make items for them once again in the 1950s-60s. Be it rubber or canvas products, even liners. I'll leave a link to the article.

http://wacohistory.org/items/show/133

 

Sent from my SM-J327V using Tapatalk

 

 

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  • 4 years later...
Nickman983
6 hours ago, patches said:

A P64 liner made in the late 50s???? That's what it is a P64.

 

Looks to be an experimental liner. There are some references in a document titled  "HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION OF THE INFANTRY HELMET RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT"

 

https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD0908190.pdf

 

I haven't had a chance to read through the document thoroughly but here's the snippet that would apply to this liner:

 

 

"

The T57-4 liner had the same suspension system as the T55'2 ( 152). In 1956 a contract was

let to Egmont Arens for an "Analysis of Design." He reported that the suspension systems for

new helmet designs Should be based on refinements of the M1 suspension system. In 1957, a

contract was awarded to Cornall Aeronautical Laboratory (CAL) to, in addition to other work

"develop fabricate and evaluate suspensions and suspension systems for the following specific helmets:

 

Liner, Helmet, Combat T53-2; Liner, Helmet, Steel M 1; Helmet, CVC T54-3."

 

CAL concluded that "the suspension studies for the T53-2, M 1 and T54-3 combat helmets have 
resulted in little improvement over the efforts of the previous contract (OG-998-D-1). It is 
recommended that no further studies be performed until field tests have been conducted of the 
systems so far presented" (86). Of the suspensions, the system incorporated into the T55-2 was 
ultimately adopted when the T55 was user tested in 1957, produced in 1959, and Type Classified 
as Standard A in 1960 (321, 341)

"

 

That snippet doesn't mention General Tire & Rubber Co but in the references section it lists them:

 

"

98. General Tire & Rubber Company. Liner (nylon) helmet, soldiers' steel, T57-4: Final report.

Contract Nr DA-19-129-qm-1219, Wabash, Ind.

99. General Tire & Rubber Company. Alternate armor materials for helmet liners: Progress

report No.1 November/January 57. Contract Nr DA-19-129-qm-768, Wabash, Ind.

"

 

I haven't had a chance to read through the document in detail and for whatever reason I can't find where those references are used via the search functionality but it does appear that this liner was produced as an experimental liner. Prior to the P64s adoption.

 

If I'm reading the thread right @Justin was the one who initially had the photos of the liner and AnDuc49 was just helping him get them posted

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  • 3 weeks later...
milsurp_scout_14

Read this thread when it was resurrected. A week later I stumbled across the T55-2 liner! This one was made by Micarta; it has a very glossy 'shellaced' look inside. Nomenclature is 'Liner, Helmet, Soldiers Steel T55-2 Type II 25 June 1959 DA-36-243-QM(CTM)-4351'. Nape strap is marked (first line unreadable) 'QM 1959 4351 T55-2'. There is also a '6' and a '5' in boxes, marked on one of the front webbing lengths. It did not come with the sweatband unfortunately.

IMG_20230522_115521704.jpg

IMG_20230522_115548144_HDR.jpg

IMG_20230522_115605731.jpg

IMG_20230522_115642563.jpg

IMG_20230522_115624959_HDR.jpg

IMG_20230522_115659805.jpg

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That's a really special liner. It's a shame it's missing it's sweatband. Could you please post photos of the exterior paint and details of the yokes and chincup? 

 

 

Since this thread I've added a T55 infantry liner my collection as well, same colorway as yours. It also has a white tag in the dome with that same logo. No maker mark but it's stamped "QMC" 

 

Justin

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