Airborne helmets with camo paint scheme or camo cover in 1958

[Andrei]

Looks like SgtDorango solved the mystery...

[sgtdorango]

.....with the detective work of rattle leading the way......

[sgtdorango]

But I still would like to believe they might be painted camo....that would be cooler....

[Andrei]

But I still would like to believe they might be painted camo....that would be cooler....

those helmet collectors !!!

[Andrei]

While searching on www.flickr.com for some pictures of US troops in Beirut with camo helmets, painted or not I bumped into this cool picture of a Marine machine gunner.

 

[ADMIN]

Interesting thread Craig started here! Definitely not something one would expect to see, but the picture is worth 1000 words indeed!

[Mr-X]

I love the detective work that goes on around here. Well done and what a fantastic way to prove a theory.

[craig_pickrall]

It looks like the mystery is solved. Good job guys.

[gecko NZ]

if you really want to know for sure, i found this website:

 

http://home.hiwaay.net/~magro/oldnew2.html

 

it has paratroopers for the 50's, if you open the page and press Ctrl + F and type "Robert Gordon Lloyd" he was in lebanon in 1958 with the 24th ABN DIV, which is the ones that came from germany im sure, anyway he has an email address there.

[Rattle]

This is what i thought. Great working with you guys.

 

Stephan

[craig_pickrall]

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...showtopic=16493

 

Be sure to look at this thread as another similar helmet cover shows up in Valery's post.

[BEAR]

Just to set the historical military record straight...there never has been a 24th Airborne Division nor a 24th Airborne Brigade. Just prior to the Lebanon deployment, the 11th Airborne Division had been redesignated as the 24th Infantry Division on 30 June, 1958. The only units still kept on parachute status were the 187th Combat Team and the 503rd Combat Team. The 187th CT helped secure the Beirut International Airport during that crisis.

BEAR

[Rattle]

Just to set the historical military record straight...there never has been a 24th Airborne Division nor a 24th Airborne Brigade. Just prior to the Lebanon deployment, the 11th Airborne Division had been redesignated as the 24th Infantry Division on 30 June, 1958. The only units still kept on parachute status were the 187th Combat Team and the 503rd Combat Team. The 187th CT helped secure the Beirut International Airport during that crisis.

BEAR

 

"Based at Augsburg, the 11th Airborne Division was forward deployed, which limited its use as an airborne counterattack force. The division planned for numerous contingency missions requiring an airborne assault capability, not only in Europe but also in other parts of the world. However, the 11th Airborne Division was inactivated 1 July 1958, and its assets were transferred to the 24th Infantry Division, also in Germany.

 

Two-thirds of the 24th Infantry Division was organized as airborne, which made the division the first infantry division to have organic airborne assault units. Airborne elements of the division consisted of two battle groups; an artillery battery; a cavalry troop; two engineer companies; a parachute supply and maintenance company; and signal, ordnance, supply, and medical detachments provisionally formed into an airborne brigade known as the 24th Airborne Brigade."

 

Oh and these are the units deployed during the Lebanon intervention 1958. This info is from the 24th Div Association

 

LEBANON INTERVENTION 1958

 

Headquarters, 24th Airborne Brigade

1st Airborne Battle Group, 187th Infantry 3rd Battalion, 35th Armored (Medium Tank)

Troop C, 17th Armored Cavalry (Airborne) Battery A, 13th Field Artillery Battalion

Battery A, 23rd Artillery (AAA AW SP) BN 3rd Engineer Battalion (Airborne)

Detachment, 24th Aviation Company Detachment, 24th Quartermaster Company

Detachment, 24th Signal Company Platoon, A Co. Ambulance, 24th Medical BN

Platoon, B Co. Clearing, 24th Medical BN Headquarters, Flight Sec.

Detachment, 11th Parachute Support and Detachment, Forward Support Company,

Maintenance Company (Airborne) 724th Ordnance Battalion

 

David Warren Gray was the commanding general of the 24th A/B Brigade during the intervention.

 

Regards,

Stephan

[patches]

One more shot of the type in Lebanon.

[patches]

Here's a new one found online, nice shots of the BW Camo material  and the method of putting it on the helmet. We see the one on the laft has his with either a Drawstring or a Elastic Band sewn into the edge.

[sgtdorango]

Thats a great photo Patches!....in the years since this thread was started i found Lebanon 187th used BW cover like in these pics, bought it from the son of the vet, his dad was in a MP unit, the cover was hardly worn and has his laundry number stampedinside and the edges have elatic material sewn in just like the covers in your newly posted photo👍🏻....mike