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Lt. Col. Hal Moore's M1 Helmet


erikthehistorian
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erikthehistorian

Here's a shot of the M1 helmet worn by Lt. Col. Hal Moore during (and after) the Ia Drang campaign of 1965 that's currently on display at the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning. Can the helmet experts tell me more about the interesting aspects of this artifact? I've done background research on the M1 helmet but I suspect there's more to be learned from this group. For example, can I assume that those brownish spots on the cover are mold of some kind? How typical was that sort of discoloration, and is there any significance to the spot pattern? Thanks!

 

Dr. Erik B. Villard

 

post-170440-0-05025800-1503934418_thumb.jpg

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I'm going to guess they are rust spots seeping through the cover from the steel shell due to exposure to a lot of rain, but I'll defer to the experts.

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

From what I can see (more shots would be great, both to ID more parts for you and just because I was only able to see the front when it was on display.

 

M1 steel helmet, with M1-C paratrooper liner. Elastic Camouflage band, meant to hold the cover in place and hold foliage on the helmet, but more often used by soldiers in Vietnam to hold small items like cigarettes, bug juice, can openers, etc. Leaf pattern helmet cover (often called Mitchell pattern by collectors but I as far as I know no official document calls it that) the cover shows common wear for Vietnam, the brown spots are rust stains, same with around the rim. The rim is torn from being rubbed between the shell and liner.

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The para liners and M1C were often worn by the early Air Assault unit and used during the early airmoble concepts and assaults by the early Cav units.As I recall many of the early Cav men were airborne qualified in the 7th,8th,9th CAV.

 

Awesome helmet...if it could only speak of its travels.

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I'm going to guess they are rust spots seeping through the cover from the steel shell due to exposure to a lot of rain, but I'll defer to the experts.

I agree.

 

Its rust from the exposure to the tropical climate in Viet Nam.

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

I may have some photos from slightly different angles that I can post when I get home if OP can't access it.

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Could be.

 

Would need a photo of inner liner but I wouldn't go to the extreme and remove it or take the cover off.

 

But the cover seems loose and not as formed to the helmet as the in country photo shows so maybe it was removed at some point.?

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post-467-0-46106800-1503940156_thumb.jpg

 

Here is a picture from Paris Match showing a 1st Cavalry LTC that we have not positively IDed as Hal Moore in a older thread.

Perhaps the camo pattern of the helmet cover in the picture matches the LTC Hal Moore's helmet displayed at Fort Benning?

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stealthytyler

By the way, the elastic band seems to not be original unless it was rotated around the lid or flipped over because there is a wear mark in the b/w photo but not the color photo. Also, the liner looks pretty clean to me on the inside. Not sure if this is rare due to Hal being an officer and not wearing it as much as a low level grunt.

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Definitely a match, but it looks like the helmet cover was removed at least once. I don't expect that minutes after the battle, he carefully removed his helmet and placed it in the gentle care of the Infantry Museum.

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Thank you for presenting the photographs. Exhibits what a unquestionable provenanced helmet (cover) at least should look like after being in battle in SVN; in regards to fading, rust spots, rim wear etc.

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

attachicon.gifpost-467-1208806985.jpg

 

Here is a picture from Paris Match showing a 1st Cavalry LTC that we have not positively IDed as Hal Moore in a older thread.

Perhaps the camo pattern of the helmet cover in the picture matches the LTC Hal Moore's helmet displayed at Fort Benning?

looks like at least a few of them have darkened color SSI, like discussed in this thread:

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/294494-did-troops-in-vietnam-subdue-colored-patches/

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

post-153751-0-99826900-1503963452_thumb.jpg

 

Another one of this helmet, (well, the cover for certain, seems totally possible to me that he only donated part of his helmet, and the rest could've been added to complete it for display) notice no white mark on the band and some more rust spots are visible.

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