USAAF aircrew headgear, c.'44 featuring M4A2 flak helmet.

[Harlan]

I've always wondered what the star was all about! As already mentioned, it must have taken up some time and extra effort to make them that way.

 

The answer has to be around somewhere!

[LarryM3]

 

Hi Larry, sorry to say that the find was about twenty-five years ago and I had a five to six hour time slot in a five floor ex-industrial unit that had been stuffed to the ceilings with US militaria in the early 50's. I was attempting to fill a U-Haul truck with quantity and time was the esscense, sadly detail was overlooked.

 

great fun though. ....................

 

ken

 

Hello Ken! Oh what fun that must have been!! Larry

[General Apathy]

Must've been a thrill to "discover" them Ken?! :think:

 

Hello Ken! Oh what fun that must have been!! Larry

 

Hi Ian, Sjefm Larry, well there were several other big surplus places that I fished through over the years, and the thrill of being the first person in forty years to see and find some of this stuff was fantastic, well we all know the thrill of the chase...........

 

I recall one small surplus store in London ( Lawerence Corner ) in the mid 1980's if you took something in and showed them and went back the week after they would have a bunch of what you wanted shipped in from their out of town warehousing.

 

One time ( 1984 ) I showed them a set of used M-36 suspenders the following week when I went to see what they had sorted they had unissued bundles of the suspenders tied in white string, and they were 10 pence a pair, at that time it was about two dollars to the pound so maybe they were something like 5 cents a pair.

 

ken

[Sabrejet]

Let me extrapolate that Ken. :think: So...by my reckoning, the entire contents of the shoebox cost you around £8.75!!

[General Apathy]

Let me extrapolate that Ken. :think: So...by my reckoning, the entire contents of the shoebox cost you around £8.75!!

 

Ian, £8.75 huh , haven't I told you more than a million times not to over-exaggerate :crying:

 

ken

[Sabrejet]

Ian, £8.75 huh , haven't I told you more than a million times not to over-exaggerate :crying:

 

ken

 

 

Want to double your money Ken?

[General Apathy]

Want to double your money Ken?

 

Hi Ian, already did, I sold an M-42 jump jacket for £16 :thumbsup:

 

ken

[Sabrejet]

Hi Ian, already did, I sold an M-42 jump jacket for £16 :thumbsup:

 

ken

 

Still driving a hard bargain then?!

[gitana]

I've always wondered what the star was all about! As already mentioned, it must have taken up some time and extra effort to make them that way.

 

The answer has to be around somewhere!

 

 

Here is my blind stab at an answer, a starting point perhaps.

 

During the war the Army Air Force was trying to decide on an appropriate insignia.

 

-> ->

 

 

At the same time, vehicle markings were evolving using similar stars (see US Vehicle Markings).

 

-> -> > ->

 

As a variant, "in early 1942, HQ Armored Force issued orders that all armored vehicle markings were to be painted in Air Corps Yellow, No. 4 lusterless. A yellow star was adopted for armored vehicles." Later that year it was replaced by the white star.

 

For the invasion of Sicily vehicles were told to paint the star and circle with yellow. Various forms emerged:

 

 

 

The point of this is that stars were being used for identification, and apparently there was a color in use called "Air Corps Yellow, No. 4". I don't know if these two facts are significant in the use of the yellow star on the H-28-CL, but it seems likely they are.

[Sabrejet]

An interesting theory with some logical observations! :thumbsup:

[Charlie Flick]

Very nice examples, Sabrejet.

 

Here are several of mine along the same lines. (Looks like I need to do a bit of dusting.... :think: )

 

Regards,

Charlie

 

[Sabrejet]

Thanks Charlie. Nice array of goggles you have there! :thumbsup:

[LarryM3]

Blowing the dust off this topic regarding the yellow star on the top of the H-28-CL flak helmet. I have a thought as to it's possible intent which I will add to the mix and see what opinions it gets. Maybe it was intended to make it easier for Allied ground troops to spot a downed airman as one of their own? By this point in the war aircrews returning from Germany or other spots would often bail out over areas controlled by various Allied armies or partisan units. Just a thought.

 

Larry

[phantomfixer]

....I had one, found in a box of M4A2s near Dover AFB, the left ear flap was present but had fallen off over time...sold it on ebay years ago...wonder who has it now...

 

I thought I read the yellow starred helmets were an early production run, and the marked helmets were supposed to go to a designated unit...which never happened, and the star was discontinued....

[Bugme]

I don't think we have ever nailed it down to the reason behind the star but, there has been much speculation about it and anything I've read was also speclation. I like both(LarryM3 and phantomfixer) of these possibilities since both are plausible.

[LarryM3]

Scott, the major flaw to my idea is that aircrew normally ditched their flak gear before bailing out!

 

 

Larry

I don't think we have ever nailed it down to the reason behind the star but, there has been much speculation about it and anything I've read was also speclation. I like both(LarryM3 and phantomfixer) of these possibilities since both are plausible.