Lime green USN-USMC WW2 helmets

[kammo-man]

A friend of mine got an OD overpaint this weekend.

Underneath is lime green camo paint.

I feel I have seen this before.

anyone else ?

owen

[Nickman983]

Any pictures you could share of the color/pattern? There are some helmets in the camouflage section of "Painted Steel" by Chris Armold that might be comparable.

[kammo-man]

Asking for those now.

[Phineaus]

Here is a thread addressing that green color I think you are referring to.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/189884-fresh-out-of-the-woodwork-complete-wwii-m-1-with-unique-green-paint/?fromsearch=1

[kammo-man]

Here is a thread addressing that green color I think you are referring to.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/189884-fresh-out-of-the-woodwork-complete-wwii-m-1-with-unique-green-paint/?fromsearch=1

P

Thanks fir the link

 

 

I can’t post pics fir some reason right now if someone pms me o can forward Pics to share

 

Owen

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[3rdMarDivMP]

Here's my "Lime Green" lid that I acquired from Italian War Front earlier this year. Inside the shell is painted "291" in large block numerals.

[awm]

We have a medic helmet from estate of a soldier of the 782nd Tank Battalion who was in Europe during WWII. In March 1945 in photos from France the medic panels are still visible. In one of the letters written from Czechoslovakia the soldier writes that while driving jeep through woods he was fired upon but the German was a poor shot and missed him. Some time after getting into Czechoslovakia the helmet was painted over with this shade of lime green paint. We will try to post some photos at a later time.

 

There is an online copy of the regimental history of the 782nd Tank Battalion. Perhaps there is more detailed information in the history that may reference the painting of helmets? I haven't had the time to read it yet. The lime green paint would have been applied post-April 1945. Not sure if it was to hide the medic panels for duration of war in Europe or while unit was preparing to sail back to the US and possibly to the Pacific, but the unit went back to US and stayed there.

[airborne53]

hello

had this one , early vietnam used ?

 

 

 

 

 

olivier

[Bugme]

hello

had this one , early vietnam used?...

 

You likely misread Owen's post, he stated there is a lime green "camo" underneath, not just lime green. This hints that there is a pattern that he sees.

[Bugme]

Here are some of the photos Owen sent of this helmet.

[kammo-man]

Bugme

 

Thanks for helping me post

 

As stated the lid has a lime green underneath a Re paint and it looks like there was a simple od to begin with showing through also

 

Lid came from typical flea market guy with the photos on Saipan of USN guys and the binoculars.

 

I looked at the USN ships color chart and the nearest color was A-3 but that’s closer the the numbered ITF lid

 

One things for sure my friends helmet was reprinted to cover a very bright lime green at one time

 

Thoughts anyone ?

 

Owen

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kammo-man]

Just noticed it’s got several Re paints on top of the lime

 

 

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[sgtdorango]

Kind of reminds me of the light green paint they used in airplane interiors?........mike

[KRIS FORD]

There is an epoxy based primer that is used in the USN called Formula 150, aka Mean Green.It is EXACTLY that color.

https://www.milspeccoating.com/MIL-DTL-24441-Formula-150-Type-III-and-Type-IV-p/24441-f150.htm

 

But that came after the red lead primer, like in the 80's, so maybe a later paint job? Gotta remember, The USN still had WW2 lids up til recently, so many would have been repainted up to the 2010's..

[zzyzzogeton]

Back when I was first commissioned in 1977, my first ship was the USS DENVER (LPD-9), based out of San Diego. My first GQ station was Mount Safety Officer, sitting in between a pair of 3"-50 on Mount 4, I wore one of those WW2 era phone talker helmets. There were at least 3 ships' hull numbers painted on the inside, indicating that the helmet spent time on at least 4 ships during its service life. I remember the ship types as being a DD, a CA and an LSMR,

 

The helmet might have still been on the ship when it was decommissioned in 2014.

 

On another note about Navy helmets and paint jobs - during 4 sea tours, my men NEVER chipped old layers of paint off a helmet. Rough edges where paint chips had broken out were feathered down and a new coat slapped on.

 

As a dumb Ensign, I asked my GMC why we didn't chip all the old paint off first, since we took bulkheads and decks down to bare metal for repainting.

 

His response was -

 

"Sir, we got too damn much work to do to waste time on that. Besides, some of these helmets are older than I am (he was in his late 30s in 1977). If we chipped the paint off, we wouldn't have anything left."