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The use of foliage as additional helmet camo.


Sabrejet
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2nd pattern USMC covers, Mitchell, ERDL and Woodland covers all had "buttonholes" for the attachment of foliage as additional camo...right? Also, elasticated helmet bands were supplied for the same purpose. However....they appear to have been very rarely used as intended. I've been browsing through some of my reference books with combat pics from the PTO > VN and there was not a single helmet with additional camo, as prescribed. Even in WW2, most netted helmets seem to lack any kind of additional camo with the obvious exception of scrimmed-up Airborne troops' helmets. Obviously, I'm not saying it was never done...but it does appear to have been the exception rather than the rule. What say you? :think:

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The only pictures I remember are those taken during experimentation ... not in combat, but there's probably some exemples.

 

My personnal experience with additional camo on helmet (french marines sorry) is that it's not very effective, particularly when you're changing your position very often and have a different environnement each time you stop. It's also somewhat uncomfortable as it offers a higher profile, not much desired when you want to crawl swiftly or simply sat quietly.

 

I think the troops very rapidly discovered those drawbacks.

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The only pictures I remember are those taken during experimentation ... not in combat, but there's probably some exemples.

 

My personnal experience with additional camo on helmet (french marines sorry) is that it's not very effective, particularly when you're changing your position very often and have a different environnement each time you stop. It's also somewhat uncomfortable as it offers a higher profile, not much desired when you want to crawl swiftly or simply sat quietly.

 

I think the troops very rapidly discovered those drawbacks.

 

That makes perfect sense....better for static positions. Yet, the covers continued to be manufactured with largely redundant buttonholes and issued with bands. Makes you wonder why the USMC opted to change their covers to include buttonholes because even in the jungles of the PTO they appear to have been little used. (No doubt someone will post a bunch of pics of such covers with added camo!) However...as I said...it appears to have been uncommon outside of the training manuals!

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A little off topic but the next British army Multi Terrain pattern helmet cover will come with scrim attached. It's been very effective in Afghan.

 

Rich

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A little off topic but the next British army Multi Terrain pattern helmet cover will come with scrim attached. It's been very effective in Afghan.

 

Rich

 

Really? That's interesting.

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This is the picture off the MOD site. Helmet nets are being banned so they brought out the new foilage camo cover.

 

post-1878-1323872336.png

Rich

 

That looks to be an eminently practical solution! Better than the old elasticated "cradles"!

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Thanks...I knew someone would pull some out of the archives! I still maintain it was the exception rather than the rule! :thumbsup:

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I agree Ian. You don't see it used very much and I've noticed the same thing, and think about it when I look at all the button holes. You were also correct in that it is more useful if you're in a static situation or very slow stalking such as a sniper.

 

If you're up moving around very much I can see where a big bushy head might actually be a visual hindrance and give away your position.

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I agree Ian. You don't see it used very much and I've noticed the same thing, and think about it when I look at all the button holes. You were also correct in that it is more useful if you're in a static situation or very slow stalking such as a sniper.

 

If you're up moving around very much I can see where a big bushy head might actually be a visual hindrance and give away your position.

 

Dont forget that in Panama in December 1989 the 7th Infantry Division wore as a scrim common addition and alot of it on the Helmets, as for me we wore foliage several times ( NOT EVERYTIME ) in Alaska in the 4/9 INF in the summer of 1981 and later in the spring after break up through the summer of 1982.

 

7th "BAYONET" INFANTRY DIVISION PANAMA 1989.

post-34986-1323878237.jpg

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It may sound a strange thing to say but with all of that scrim etc., they look less like American troops and more "European" because that heavily cammed-up look is more common among European armies...eg the French with their "salade" helmet covers.

 

post-8022-1323879575.jpg

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For comparison...a British para, Falklands war with scrimmed helmet. There was also an issue artificial foliage net, similar in character to the French "salade" nets.

 

post-8022-1323881388.jpg

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It may sound a strange thing to say but with all of that scrim etc., they look less like American troops and more "European" because that heavily cammed-up look is more common among European armies...eg the French with their "salade" helmet covers.

 

I think having too much camo on a helmet could even cause some confusion and you may even be mistaken as an enemy soldier since it disguises the uniform and makes it more difficult to identify in a war zone

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Real oak leaves too!? ;)

 

IF any of you guys have U.S. INFANTRY VIETNAM, a 1983 Squadron/Signal in Action book, you will see on page 38 a photo of GIs of the 4th Infantry Division at LZ Valentine preparing to move out on a patrol in the Central Highlands, here their helmets have leaves on them, with at least 2 to 3 of them with foliage festooning their steel pots.

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IF any of you guys have U.S. INFANTRY VIETNAM, a 1983 Squadron/Signal in Action book, you will see on page 38 a photo of GIs of the 4th Infantry Division at LZ Valentine preparing to move out on a patrol in the Central Highlands, here their helmets have leaves on them, with at least 2 to 3 of them with foliage festooning their steel pots.

 

I've got that book Patches...I'll take a look later, thanks. As I said earlier, I'm not saying it wasn't done, just that it was not universally practiced.

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It may sound a strange thing to say but with all of that scrim etc., they look less like American troops and more "European" because that heavily cammed-up look is more common among European armies...eg the French with their "salade" helmet covers.

 

post-8022-1323879575.jpg

 

Arrrghhh ... I had one like this when I began my military training (20 years ago), I hated it :crying:

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I've got that book Patches...I'll take a look later, thanks. As I said earlier, I'm not saying it wasn't done, just that it was not universally practiced.

 

Roger, I was giving a heads up for showing that it was done, however rare and rare it was . Like in WWII the Germans on all fronts did use that camoflage method often, likewise the Japanese, though not apparently not in China save for the Ichi Go offensives in Southeast China in the summer of 1944 where here it was seen. The Americans rarely if at all did it in the Pacific simply because the helmet net unlike in the MTO and ETO was hardly seen, for me I always thought that strange, in the overwhelming majority of the operations GIs when in to combat with bare steel pots, one would figure that in the Pacific nets would be standard. Apart from the Aleutian islands campaign where the British/canadian helmet nets where worn, they never crop up again.

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