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E15R3 gas mask


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Hey all, I suspect this won't be hugely popular, but thought I'd share since it is an unusual piece and one of my favorites in my collection. This is an E15R3 protective headpiece from the 50s or 60s. It's an early prototype for what I suspect to be a hood for decontamination roles or for rocket fuel handling.

Rather than a conventional mask with a protective hood, this is a half mask with a hood and lenses as a single integral mask/hood.

 

The hood itself is based on the MI winterization kit for the M9 masks, only the hood has not been cut for the M9 mask. The hose is the same type as the one used with the ABC-M21 rocket fuel handling mask (an M9 with a hose and propellant filter). Hood itself is dated 1954, but the hose is dated 1960. I'm unsure if the hoods were made up as blanks, dated, and then later cut for the M9 (hence the 1954), or if this mask was actually made in 1954 and the hose was added later. Another unusual feature is that the mask has 2 diaphragms for voice transmission: (1) on the front of the mask that can be clearly seen, and (2) one on the side of the mask, which I suspect is for phone or radio communication (I suppose rather strange for the roles which such a mask was intended for). The markings also appear to be hand stenciled.

 

According to one of the previous owners, this piece was originally in the Army's Chemical Corp Museum's collection when the museum was at Edgewood. A highly crude piece, for sure.

 

post-60060-0-02221400-1418673791.jpg

 

Thanks for looking. More pics to follow.

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Flash on this one to allow you to see the secondary side diaphragm for what I suspect to be phone or radio communication. This thing is just weird.

 

post-60060-0-73436700-1418674468.jpg

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Poor photo, but a shot of the inner mask. It's very crude and also looks like a "home-made" item without sophisticated injection molding or anything of the sort. You can see the spring on the "brow" that holds the shape of the mask under the weight of the lenses.

 

post-60060-0-55829100-1418674848.jpg

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Photo from an Army Chemical Corp Museum "brochure" from the Army's Chemical Center, Maryland. The document is undated as far as I can tell, but it looks 1960s. This image is on pg 10 and shows similar hood masks to the E15R3. Note there is one using optical mask parts, and some that almost look like they are based on goggles. Interesting.

post-60060-0-18236100-1418676448.jpg

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