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What type of goggles would landing forces be issued for D-Day June 6, 1944?


Tasken_Lander
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I mean first wave troops (Rangers, 1st infantry, 29th, etc)?

 

Whats the difference between B 8 goggles and M-1944's?

 

Thanks.

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I mean first wave troops (Rangers, 1st infantry, 29th, etc)?

 

Whats the difference between B 8 goggles and M-1944's?

 

Thanks.

 

B8's were USAAF issue, supplied with tinted lenses, chamois-lined. M1944' s look similar but aren't lined and don't have a flange across the bridge of the nose. Very late war issue. D-Day goggles would have been Polaroid multi-purpose (grey sponge-rubber frames) and M1943 celluloid/ leather disposable goggles.

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Thanks for the swift reply.

 

So, the grey Polaroids would be correct? Did they come w/ various lenses?

 

Are these them?

DSCF1544.jpg

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Thanks for the swift reply.

 

So, the grey Polaroids would be correct? Did they come w/ various lenses?

 

Yes, they were supplied with a cloth or leatherette wallet which contained several spare lenses.

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Cool. From what you can tell from this pic, what were the straps made out of? This one almost looks like a black rubber-y band. is this correct? May purchase this pair from someone.

 

Thanks again for the information.

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Cool. From what you can tell from this pic, what were the straps made out of? This one almost looks like a black rubber-y band. is this correct? May purchase this pair from someone.

 

Thanks again for the information.

 

 

The straps are just regular black ribbed elastic. Being 65 years old it can sometimes be brittle or has lost its elasticity so proceed with care!

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The straps are just regular black ribbed elastic. Being 65 years old it can sometimes be brittle or has lost its elasticity so proceed with care!

 

Excellent. Will certainly be careful with it once it arrives.

 

Final, unrelated, question if you don't mind -- is it too contrived to include a paratroop first aid pouch on a Ranger D-day mannequin. I've been told Rangers did use them, but just how common would this have been?

 

Did other infantrymen from other units use them as well?

 

Thanks again

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Johan Willaert

Most, if not all assault troops on D-Day would have been issued the Parachute FA pouch.

 

On the other hand very few would have carried goggles of any kind.

 

May I suggest the execellent book by our forum member Jon Gawne called 'Spearheading D-Day' which describes the uniforms and equipment by all non-AB troops during the Normandy landings in great detail!

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Most, if not all assault troops on D-Day would have been issued the Parachute FA pouch.

 

On the other hand very few would have carried goggles of any kind.

 

May I suggest the execellent book by our forum member Jon Gawne called 'Spearheading D-Day' which describes the uniforms and equipment by all non-AB troops during the Normandy landings in great detail!

 

Yeah, I know it would not have been the 'norm' for a first wave assault troop to be wearing/carrying goggles w/ them, but at least in this pic it is apparent that some of them did:

 

d02340.jpg

 

One soldier is wearing them while you can clearly make out the shape of a pair in another's meat can pouch of his haversack.

 

its definitely, in this case, an ascetic choice on my part as I think they'll make my D-day mannequin look more 'interesting' as its just an extra piece of equipment for visitor's to take in/learn about.

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Interesting picture, the guy in the middle has his life preserver inflated in the "I'm going to die in the head down position" position.

 

The thing about goggles is that until Iraq, goggles were more of a nuisance than anything because they were always falling off. The goggle retention strap didn't come into play until Iraq. Some guys would time them on, but usually they would end up hanging off the back of your helmet. Prior to Iraq, you will find the occasional soldier with them on, but they were rarely ever required. I would almost always loose mine whenever I tried wearing them in the field, so I gave up and quit. If you notice, you will rarely find any troops in Afghanistan wearing goggles. They are a nuisance.

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They were also favored by armored crew men in WWII .. and were probably easier to obtain because they were issue items... In many of the pictures I have of my father (2AD), he or one of his fellow soldiers has a pair handy... He wore resistols, winter ski type goggles, and red tinted M1943's.

 

 

I guess in recent times it depended on where you were at. When I was at Graf in the late 70's, I wore goggles and also while chasing tanks around Fort Hood in the early 80's. It was a dust bowl on the tank trails. While sun glasses seem to be more popular now and efficient because of ballistic qualities many of the drivers and up top people were wearing them when they were off road while I was in OIF... Goggles normally have a tendancy to fog up while on foot, at least they did for me, so I never wore them much later in my career. If I did I just hung them around my neck like I do while skiing. Just an observation.

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Interesting picture, the guy in the middle has his life preserver inflated in the "I'm going to die in the head down position" position.

 

The thing about goggles is that until Iraq, goggles were more of a nuisance than anything because they were always falling off. The goggle retention strap didn't come into play until Iraq. Some guys would time them on, but usually they would end up hanging off the back of your helmet. Prior to Iraq, you will find the occasional soldier with them on, but they were rarely ever required. I would almost always loose mine whenever I tried wearing them in the field, so I gave up and quit. If you notice, you will rarely find any troops in Afghanistan wearing goggles. They are a nuisance.

 

I'm deployed to Afghanistan now, we were issued goggles, but as stated pretty much nobody wears them. It isn't really all that dusty or blowing sand like Iraq seems to have been. We are required to wear our ballistic glasses whenever we are outdoors.

MSG BKW

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I looked through that 'Spearheading D-day' book and I saw a few instances of 1st Infantry soldiers on D-day (or preparing to leave for) wearing goggles. Not many, but differently a handful. There was even a squad of Rangers that had a rifleman spotting a pair.

 

While they may have not been practical or prevalent, some soldiers on D-day certainly did wear them.

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