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Airorne helmet netting ?


Screamingeagles101
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Screamingeagles101

There are a few diffrent kinds of helmet netting. I'm looking to get one for my airborne helmet. What color and what size shoul I get for it. I'm trying to make it a 101st airborne look.

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Screamingeagles101

I'm guessing you want the large large pattern with scrim?

 

post-100432-0-74180800-1352850650.jpg

 

I'm pretty sure the airborne had the smaller pattern, correct me if I'm wrong.

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Screamingeagles101, you are going to want a 1/2" Helmet net, either in khaki or green and you are going to want to put scrim in it if you are going for the standard 101st Airborne in Normandy look. In Market Garden, you will still see that however the majority will have the british 1/4" helmet nets. However instead of asking the forum I would look at books to see what they are wearing. Authors to look for are De Trez, Koskimaki, and Bando.

 

-Josh

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Depends on division. I've done a lot of research on this. The 82nd ABN Div. used mostly the fine 1/4" grid O.D. british helmet netting. 101st used mostly the 1/2" khaki and the 2" khaki netting. Scrim was not a common practice with the 82nd ABN, but was used in the 101st.

 

It has been suggested to me (uncomfirmed) that the OD 1/2" grid helmet netting shown above was made post WWII perhaps by the British or the Belgians. In WWII era actual photographic evidence the only dark OD colored helmet netting I've ever seen is the 1/4" fine grid netting.

 

The U.S. issued helmet netting with the elastic band made a gradual and very late WWII (December 1944/1945) appearance.

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I'm pretty sure the airborne had the smaller pattern, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I think I have seen paratroopers use just about every type of netting available at the time. They didn't get "inspections" from their CO to check if they were wearing the correct type. I'm guessing they just took what was available and as Sabrejet has shown, there was a huge variety in what they would have worn.

 

Vehlicle camouflage netting:

AS9uC.jpg

I took the picture from "paratrooper.fr"

 

Edit: And I am aware that the picture shows a photo of a paratrooper in the 82nd, but just out of ease I took this on, since it was already on the internet. I have a bunch of photos of this kind of netting used by the 101st in the books "D-Day Then and Now". I'll see what varieties I can find, and post some pictures later.

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I think I have seen paratroopers use just about every type of netting available at the time. They didn't get "inspections" from their CO to check if they were wearing the correct type. I'm guessing they just took what was available and as Sabrejet has shown, there was a huge variety in what they would have worn.

 

Vehlicle camouflage netting:

 

Edit: And I am aware that the picture shows a photo of a paratrooper in the 82nd, but just out of ease I took this on, since it was already on the internet. I have a bunch of photos of this kind of netting used by the 101st in the books "D-Day Then and Now". I'll see what varieties I can find, and post some pictures later.

 

I hate to say this but:

  • the photo above isn't 82nd Airborne, but 551st PIB preparing for the Southern France invasion
  • it is NOT vehicle camouflage netting, but is a "spider" net, with a gathering at the top
  • nets were issued en-masse to troops, straight out of the box, so *most* members of a Company/Battalion/Regiment had the exact same net at a particular time. For example... if you do the research, you can see that HQ/2/505 were issued the medium or 1/2" mesh British-made nets prior to Normandy whereas D/E/F/505 were issued the small or 1/4" mesh British-made nets at the same time.
  • Yes, there are always exceptions within a unit where the one guy had a different net or kept his old one. Same as you can always find the exception to EVERYTHING. Gukha Kukri in the 501st, anyone? ;).

Cheers,

Glen.

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How about the small mesh, two-tone, vehicle "shrimp net" cut up and used by the 3rd Div. in Italy? (Pics anyone?!) ;)

 

Pedantic, I know, but isn't the "shrimp net" cut from the vehicle nets all one colour, and it's the Canadian-made small-mesh nets which are the two-tone ones?

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Pedantic, I know, but isn't the "shrimp net" cut from the vehicle nets all one colour, and it's the Canadian-made small-mesh nets which are the two-tone ones?

 

 

I have a two tone section cut from just such a vehicle net.

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Ian, as in you saw it cut out with your own eyes, or it's actually a two-tone woven (as opposed to knotted) helmet net, as also made during the war?

 

Just asking... I've never seen a two-tone vehicle netting like this. Plain green, yes, but camo, no.

 

Cheers,

Glen.

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Ian, as in you saw it cut out with your own eyes, or it's actually a two-tone woven (as opposed to knotted) helmet net, as also made during the war?

 

Just asking... I've never seen a two-tone vehicle netting like this. Plain green, yes, but camo, no.

 

Cheers,

Glen.

 

Fellow British member Rich had a piece of it which he cut up into helmet sized sections. It came from him. It's basically a rather dark khaki...the contrast between the colours is slight....depends largely which bit of the overall net you get!

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I hate to say this but:

  • nets were issued en-masse to troops, straight out of the box, so *most* members of a Company/Battalion/Regiment had the exact same net at a particular time. For example... if you do the research, you can see that HQ/2/505 were issued the medium or 1/2" mesh British-made nets prior to Normandy whereas D/E/F/505 were issued the small or 1/4" mesh British-made nets at the same time.

Cheers,

Glen.

 

Absolutely, it is here where many impressionists make their mistakes. They are too caught up in the glamour about the nuances and misperceptions and not following the supply sergeants. First aid pouch on the helmet is a classic example. The 82nd and 101st ABN divisions tied their first aid packets anywhere EXCEPT their helmets.

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Not sure about that OD net=postwar thing. I have a knotted net in 1/2" that came with the effects of a combat engineer, 398th Regiment. Very dark OD green with some repair. This unit shipped home in July or so of 1945 for preparation of actions against Japan and were discharged over the Summer, I think. My guy was thus able to keep his pistol belt, original issued and laundry marked first aid kit (didn't know they did that!), sulfa tablets, canteen, and everything for combat save his carbine and ammunition pouches. His effects were untouched from the end of the war until the death of his widow when I bought the lot from the family, one of whom is a coworker. I suppose he could have been issued it after May, but I don't know how much they would need them after VE Day, especialyl since mine shows wear.

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I didn't think they were issued nets until after D-Day, but I guess you learn something new everyday! Anyways, I was just trying to show that the vehicle camouflage type nets were used by the odd paratrooper here and there, as I think to say that they weren't used, is incorrect. Like with the infantry which was also issued the british nets, you can see them use the vehicle camo netting sometimes as well. Just up to the individual, maybe his british issue net had gotten torn during the fighting and all they had at hand would be vehicle camouflage netting?

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  • 3 years later...

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