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Combat vehicle crewman helmet question


Fredoc
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Have you ever seen a CVC helmet painted like this in Vietnam ?

I'd like to use this helmet in a Vietnam display, but I am not so sure about the paint job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

post-314-0-14259600-1375894079.jpg

 

Any comments appreciated.

 

Thanks.

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SergeantMajorGray

Looks like a great helmet I don't think the paint job is a problem. A CVC sold on a members website with the grim reaper stenciled on the side. Too bad it sold before I saw it.

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Do feel this actual helmet was worn in Vietnam? as to the paint job I don't see any real problems either, if it was worn there, lots of custom made jobs were seen on the type, it's afterwards in the 70s into the 80s, that this sort of customizing would not be allowed.

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Here's an example of a personalized custom job on a Vietnam War CVC, though it's not an actual camouflage paint job, it is one done to a personal touch, and shows the type could be done up in a wide variety of styles apart from it's uniform OD exterior finish. We see a M 48 of I think the 11th Armd Cav Regt in 1969, with it's either it's Gunner or Loader * with his CVC with two wide apart dull light colored paint Tan? Dark Yellow? stripes from front to back with a Ace of Spades in the center, probably Dark Green to match the one on the searchlight cover, a Troop insignia no doubt.

 

* Note that this image is Reversed, the Cupola would be on the left of the Vehical rather than on the right as seen here.

post-34986-0-66183800-1375942405.jpg

 

 

 

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Just about every unit I was in that had CVC's allowed for customization. I still have one of mine from then. All depends on the command.

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Just about every unit I was in that had CVC's allowed for customization. I still have one of mine from then. All depends on the command.

How did you manage to get that one home Hoovie, these items back in the day were company property, in the old 2/12 Cav the two CVCs for the TC and Driver were just stored in the ACP, you know just put in one of the storgage bins,they could not be keep and brought back to the barracks, plus no one bother to mark them up fancy, I guess if one of the crew really wanted, I guess they could of added personalized markings and the like. This is of course just pertaining to my Battalion, not sure really on the other Battalions, perhaps they did?

 

Maybe like the guys in the Armor Battalions, like we shared the motor pool with one of the 8th Cav's Armor Battalions (can't remember which one, the 1st or the 2nd, both of the 8th Cav's Battalions were Armor back in late 70s into the early 80s), I recall one of their mount's with a Skull and Crossbones painted on it's searchlight cover, I actually got a photo of me sitting on it to show the Skull and Crossbones, I still have it, this photo. Can't be sure of course, but perhaps they, the crew of this particular M 60 customized their CVCs with a Skull and Crossbones.

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This is pretty typical for a CVC custom camo. I have a small collection of the camo'd T-56's and they all vary as to pattern but the use of wavy swath's of black, brown, green is typical for Vietnam. These big helmets were perfect for home grown 'field artists' to practice their skills, there were no official guidelines on personalizing these so it was pretty much up to the unit commanders as to what would fly. Used to see these a lot on eBay ten years ago but pretty rare to see them now. The DH-132's were also decorated a lot, probably more than the T-56's.

 

Larry

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Patches, the only piece of a CVC that is accountable is the shell. Rest are considered expendable. Now having said that, it was always common for us to have spare parts n pieces in the Plt/Trp and the fact that one just accumulates extra "stuff" over time. It is amazing how much you find laying on the "tank trails", and one source of having extra stuff. Surplus stores, making deals with other units who are short of something you have extra, and of course, knowing how to "play" the system ;)

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Patches, the only piece of a CVC that is accountable is the shell. Rest are considered expendable. Now having said that, it was always common for us to have spare parts n pieces in the Plt/Trp and the fact that one just accumulates extra "stuff" over time. It is amazing how much you find laying on the "tank trails", and one source of having extra stuff. Surplus stores, making deals with other units who are short of something you have extra, and of course, knowing how to "play" the system ;)

Right Sarge I copy, speaking of finding junk in the field, you know I once found a ADA Redeye tube, a training device you know, similar to the inert LAWs we seen, we were out there a few Clicks out from the Barracks area proper on a several hour Field Craft/Running around day under arms with LBE at Hood, well that was something, but that was a item that I had to take back and turn in to the Company Orderly Room, no way I could of keep that one :lol:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here's the above mentioned photo an 8th Cav M-60, of 1st or 2nd Battalion. Not the best of photos, it was taken on a Dim Raw Rainy Central Texas Winter day, February 1981, late in the day as I remember, towards recall.

 

A slight memory error there Hoovie :lol: as we see it is Crossed Sabres with the Skull rather than Crossed Bones, still, I wonder if the crew of this particular mount had this done on their CVCs, I can say it was the only one with marking on the searchlight cover, that's why I had my photo taken on it. Too bad I wasn't hip to looking at vehicle numbers, since this was the only tank with any kind of marking whatsoever, it could of very well been the personel mount of this 8th Cav's Battalion Commander.

post-34986-0-95479400-1377545864.jpg

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  • 10 months later...

Not a Camo paint job that's for sure, but it shows that Officer Rank could be painted on the CVC.

 

Here we see General John Waters Continental Command (CONARC) commander, he's Patton Son in Law, and was held as a POW after his capture in Africa, and held at Hammelburg see here.

 

Waters the perennial Tanker, has the 4 stars of his Grade painted on, no doubt his own personal CVC. Photo taken circa Spring/Summer 1963.

 

post-34986-0-04147000-1404879360.jpg

 

 

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