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CVC helmet..."Desert Storm" bring-back?


Sabrejet
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It's amazing what can turn up in British antiques markets! A few days ago I found this USGI CVC helmet. The guy from whom I bought it believes it was a Gulf War souvenir, brought back to the UK by a British soldier. This is entirely feasible given the '88 dated liner and the hand-applied desert sand paint on the Kevlar shell. I can neither prove nor disprove this, but either way it's a good complete example of the type which will sit very nicely in my collection.

 

Firstly, the internal liner:

 

post-8022-1347113198.jpgpost-8022-1347113192.jpg

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Well done Ian :thumbsup: In much better shape than I imagined or hoped.

 

 

Thanks Mike. You've worn this stuff for real..."been there/done that"... during your time in the Army. So, is the Desert Storm scenario feasible?

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I would say entirely feasible. And the paint reminds me of the tan CARC paint, used on vehicles and equipment. Just one thought on its journey to your hands, since it is in Ol Blighty, and that is that it might have made its way from a Germany based unit to the succession of hands it has been held in over the years?

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I spent fifteen months running a commo shop at Fort Polk from 1989 through 1991... I only had the thinner shells similar in consturction to the WWII Helmet liners... The Kevlar shells didn't get to us till after I left there... These things were a real bear to maintain... The pads inside of the nylon mesh were replaceable, and replacing the switch inside the ear cup was a nightmare. I currently have one sitting on my shelf right now that could use some new foam inside the ear cups...

 

Wayne

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I spent fifteen months running a commo shop at Fort Polk from 1989 through 1991... I only had the thinner shells similar in consturction to the WWII Helmet liners... The Kevlar shells didn't get to us till after I left there... These things were a real bear to maintain... The pads inside of the nylon mesh were replaceable, and replacing the switch inside the ear cup was a nightmare. I currently have one sitting on my shelf right now that could use some new foam inside the ear cups...

 

Wayne

 

Fortunately, the foam pads inside of this one are intact...no sign of degradation yet!

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Ian,

Perhaps you should "chop" the helmet and sell the parts, this way you can make several members happy! You have too many helmet as it is. You should redistribute the bulk of your collection to those who have no helmets but want them. :thumbsup:

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Very nice example of a DH-132A from the Desert Storm period. Nothing for me to add that hasn't already been said. I agree with Hoovie as to provenance, a Germany based unit. The helmet would have had the original OD green color (the paint was mixed with powdered walnut shell to give it the rough texture) when in Germany and the owner no doubt added the sand colored vehicle paint when in Kuwait. Upon return to Germany the helmets would have been turned in for new ones in the OD green color and the old ones scrapped out. A common failure in this series of helmets was the deterioration of the mesh in the earpieces even while new and in storage, a heat related breakdown.

 

Larry

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Very nice example of a DH-132A from the Desert Storm period. Nothing for me to add that hasn't already been said. I agree with Hoovie as to provenance, a Germany based unit. The helmet would have had the original OD green color (the paint was mixed with powdered walnut shell to give it the rough texture) when in Germany and the owner no doubt added the sand colored vehicle paint when in Kuwait. Upon return to Germany the helmets would have been turned in for new ones in the OD green color and the old ones scrapped out. A common failure in this series of helmets was the deterioration of the mesh in the earpieces even while new and in storage, a heat related breakdown.

 

Larry

 

Powdered walnut shell?! Thanks for that additional info Larry! :thumbsup:

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BTW...the principal contractor was Specialty Plastic Products. They also produced M1 liners for the Army from the 70s until production ceased in the early 80s.

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The designer and patent holder for the DH series of CVC helmets was Gentex Corporation of Carbondale, PA, USA. Gentex was the acronym for General Textiles Company which was a silk mill originally. During WWII they manufactured, among other items, silk parachutes for the Army. They had a research and development department that was quite innovative for the time. When the Army complained that the large Gentex cargo parachutes were arriving with moisture damage the Gentex scientists developed a light weight, waterproof shipping container for the chutes made from poly something fibers, a plastic of some type. When the Army and Army Air Force in the late 40's began looking for a hard shell helmet for aviators Gentex used this material to form a detachable hard shell which fit over the standard cloth summer weight flight helmet and this evolved into the P-1 series of flight helmets, helmet design and manufacture continued on to the present day. The 'DH' in the DH-132 etc. helmets is a Gentex acronym for 'Developmental Helmet' and the number is just the number of the particular design being tested. 'MC" is the Gentex acronym for 'Marine Corps' as in MC-1, MC-2, and the MC-140 family of helmets developed for the USMC. The Army and the Marines just adopted the Gentex designations for these helmets during the standardization process.

 

Larry

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Thanks for the "GENTEX" info Larry. Unfortunately, the paper label inside the shell is largely worn away so it's impossible to read the details. However, the liner and earphone housings are clearly marked as Specialty Plastic Products items.

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Thanks for the "GENTEX" info Larry. Unfortunately, the paper label inside the shell is largely worn away so it's impossible to read the details. However, the liner and earphone housings are clearly marked as Specialty Plastic Products items.

 

Ian, there were many different sub-contractors used by the Army after the initial production runs by Gentex. Specialty Plastic's was a major competitor of Gentex and you will often find them producing CVC helmets designed by Gentex. Once the original contract quota of helmets was purchased further contracts were let on competitive bids. You will even find these helmets produced by Rabintex of Israel in subsequent contracts.

 

Larry

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