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Westinghouse liner with confusing tape marking


danejw
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This is a mid-war produced liner with green A washers. The front seems to indicate captain rank, but the back looks like an NCO stripe. The linen tape strips are 1/2" wide and are the same age. Interesting what this combo could have signified.

 

post-207448-0-16604100-1549404921_thumb.jpg

post-207448-0-88446400-1549405242_thumb.jpg

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Was after this one too and hoped it would be a quiet one given the ERDL cover on the original paint and strap FSFB shell, but it went pretty crazy at the end there. Congrats

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Was after this one too and hoped it would be a quiet one given the ERDL cover on the original paint and strap FSFB shell, but it went pretty crazy at the end there. Congrats

That cover is a weird one too. It's a woodland pattern with no foliage holes or maker markings. But that wasn't the objective. I'll post photos of the shell also soon.

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I've seen multiple liners with these two parallel bars just like this. I don't believe it represents Captain though, as evidenced here if it was a Captain liner it would have vertical "Follow me" stripe not the NCO version. I think it means something else I just am unsure of what...

 

Hunt

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Burning Hazard

Could be for name? I've had a couple of liners that had tape either on the front or back (or both front and back).

 

Other possibility is some sort of tac mark?

 

Pat

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Could be for name? I've had a couple of liners that had tape either on the front or back (or both front and back).

 

Other possibility is some sort of tac mark?

 

Pat

 

Both of those are possible, I'd think it'd be a tac mark, but being on the liner makes me think it is possible as a parade/garrison marking? I've seen at least one other helmet with this, but I faintly recall more. And the markings were all on the liner. Maybe specifically one unit?

 

Hunt

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Burning Hazard

Hunt,

 

I remember watching WWII footage of, what I think it was, 351st Regiment marching in Italy and noticed all soldiers had a small NCO bar on the back of their helmets! There was no way that there was hundreds of NCO's there, I concluded it must of been a tac mark instead of an NCO bar.

 

I'll try to find the footage

 

Pat

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Pat,

 

That is interesting, I guess it could signify a soldier from a fellow unit? Meant for identifying against Germans or other US soldiers? I know the 88th is known for tac marks, along with the 45th? It seems that the whole tac marks on helmets was more of an MTO thing... I'm wondering though as I think if the bars were on the front were representing captain they'd be much too big for a combat/field use. Most likely this must be a parade thing. If only we could go back in time! I guess a lot of these tac marks will probably forever remain unidentifiable...

 

Hunt

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Hunt,

 

I remember watching WWII footage of, what I think it was, 351st Regiment marching in Italy and noticed all soldiers had a small NCO bar on the back of their helmets! There was no way that there was hundreds of NCO's there, I concluded it must of been a tac mark instead of an NCO bar.

 

I'll try to find the footage

 

Pat

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r2pevtk1zM

 

found it for you. You have a good memory. Footage appears about 1:40

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r2pevtk1zM

 

found it for you. You have a good memory. Footage appears about 1:40

 

If you look at the footage you can see that on the front of their helmets they all have their ranks as well, but they are very small. Definitely not the size of the captain's bars on the OP's helmets. I would have to agree though that the bar on the back would have to be some sort of tac mark as there is no way all of those guys could be NCO's especially because looking at the rank on the front of their helmet you can see most of them are privates!

 

Hunt

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