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Cold War Era NBC Injectors and Decontamination Kits


fallout
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Hello all, it's been awhile since I was active but I have recently been doing research on US militaria. My main focus has been NBC related items.

In 1944 the M5 Protective Ointment Kit was introduced which contained 4 tubes of M5 Protective Ointment and one tube of BAL Eye Ointment. In 1950 this was updated, one of the M5 tubes was removed and an Atropine Syrette was added in place of it. This kit was called the M5A1. In 1959 the M5A2 was created, it replaced the Atropine Syrette with an Atropine Auto Injector but it was not adopted by the army. The M5A3 removed the BAL and used the Auto Injector, introduced in 1960. Lastly was the M5A4, which was introduced in 63-65, it removed the Atropine Auto Injector as they were to now be carried separably and added a 4th tube of M5 Protective Ointment, so basically it the same as the original M5 Kit from 1944 except BAL.

The M13 Individual Decontaminating and Reimpregnation Kit was introduced in 1965 to replace the M5 series kits. It contained 2 bags of decon powder for clothing and equipment, a small pad with decon powder for the skin, and a razor blade to cut contaminated pieces of clothing off. The Atropine Auto Injectors were now carried separately from the kit but they are the same as in the M5A3 Kit.

In 1975 the M258 Decontamination Kit was introduced to replace the M13. The M258 contained 2 bottles of decon liquid, 2 scrapers, and 4 gauze pads. The M258 was green and it's training version, the M58, was blue. In 1980 the M258 was updated into a much simpler kit, the M258A1. Instead of the 2 bottles it had 6 wipes in little packages, 3 Decon 1 and 3 Decon 2.

Now sometime between 1973 and 1979 the Atropine Auto Injector changed, and then again it changed sometime in the 80s. From 1960 till the 70s era, smaller Atropine injectors were used. Sometime in or before 1979 it was changed to a larger Auto Injector and again in the mid 80s era the Mark 1 Nerve Agent Antidote Kit was introduced. The NAAK contained 2 Auto Injectors, a smaller Atropine Sulfate Injector which looks to be the same as the type used from 1960 to the mid 70s era, and a larger(but not as large as the type from 1979) Pralidoxime Chloride Injector.



What I wish to know is when the NAAK was introduced and when the Larger Injector was introduced.

post-122056-0-17888600-1548298093_thumb.png
This is from a 1964 Military Film, top is the older Atropine Syrette from the M5A1 Kit, bottom is the new Auto Injector used in the M5A2 and A3 Kit and then separately into the 70s.

Also be sure to check this out, there is where most of my info comes from
https://www.scribd.com/document/15688616/Decon-History

 

 

 

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At 2:35 you can see the small type auto injectors from 1973.

post-122056-0-92434500-1548298424_thumb.jpg
Here is a manual from 1979 that shows the new type Auto Injector, which is larger.


And a video from 1964(title is wrong) showing the syrette and injector


The only reason I know about the larger Auto Injector is because of that book above and because I own a training version, I just looked up the NSN(only just thought to do that) and it showed it was created in 1978, so the introduction date for the larger injector would be around 1978

https://www.wbparts.com/rfq/6910-01-061-6444.html

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In 1971, while we were in the field in Hoenfelds(sp), I attempted to demonstrate how the atropine injector worked by activating it against a tent pole. Unfortunately, I was holding it backwards and shot myself in the thumb! The things 21 year old guys will do. LOL

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