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Late WW2 Rear Seam M1 with Very Different Camo


trenchbuff
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I picked this up at an estate sale years ago.  The estate belonged to a gentleman who served with the 41st Division in the Pacific and I found the helmet in the garage.  At first it just looked like somebody went a little crazy with some paint, especially since it looks like they used a gold color.  The more I looked at it over the years and the fact that the rust, wear and paint on the helmet all showed the same age, I can't help but think it might have been the soldiers idea of jungle camouflage.  I've seen some pretty weird camo jobs come out of the pacific theater so I'm just wondering what the helmet guys think?

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10 minutes ago, gravecreek said:

Looks like the gold paint is sprayed on with a spray can. Don't think  spray cans were available back then. jmo

Yes, I think the first spray paint came out around 1949.  So if it was done for camo it had to be after WW2..either Korea or even Vietnam.  Than again maybe just someone going nuts in their garage🤣

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I think you may be overlooking the fact they used paint sprayers to paint equipment, vehicles and such. I know there is a famous picture out there of an ordinance guy spraying yellow bodied grenades green.

 I'm not saying yea or nay about the helmet just there was spraying going on way before 1949, albeit from a gun and not a can.

Ken

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10 minutes ago, 644td said:

Can you take pictures in natural light(outside) maybe pictures in shade and in partial sun?

 

marty

Soon as we get some sun again I'll give that a try.

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1 hour ago, 6th.MG.BN said:

I think you may be overlooking the fact they used paint sprayers to paint equipment, vehicles and such. I know there is a famous picture out there of an ordinance guy spraying yellow bodied grenades green.

 I'm not saying yea or nay about the helmet just there was spraying going on way before 1949, albeit from a gun and not a can.

Ken

True Ken..Thanks.  I hadn't thought of that.

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I thought of a spray can as well. Third pic, middle left of shell there appears to be a small 1" or so heavy spray area indicative of someone who doesn't understand how to spray - can or otherwise. It's common for people to spray in no particular pattern - until the base color just no longer shows - whatever it takes. Runs often ensue. I'm not sure how focused the WWII guns could get but I'm confident they weren't spraying super fine patterns as routine.

Air compressors and guns were common but the compressors were large and guns were standard siphon feed. They can be adjusted into a round spray pattern but they could really put it out there. They even sprayed M-42 uniforms while on the trooper's body as well as most equipment but I haven't seen very fine work with those guns.

Will be interesting to see for sure.

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H

22 minutes ago, dmar836 said:

I thought of a spray can as well. Third pic, middle left of shell there appears to be a small 1" or so heavy spray area indicative of someone who doesn't understand how to spray - can or otherwise. It's common for people to spray in no particular pattern - until the base color just no longer shows - whatever it takes. Runs often ensue. I'm not sure how focused the WWII guns could get but I'm confident they weren't spraying super fine patterns as routine.

Air compressors and guns were common but the compressors were large and guns were standard siphon feed. They can be adjusted into a round spray pattern but they could really put it out there. They even sprayed M-42 uniforms while on the trooper's body as well as most equipment but I haven't seen very fine work with those guns.

Will be interesting to see for sure.

I worked in autobody repair in the 1980's and spent a good time as a painter, you would be surprised at what you could do. Even with equipment back then.

Look at the Westinghouse camo liner's.

Ken

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Ironic, I, too, worked in auto body in the 80s in St Louis. Small world. I still have some old equipment but much prefer the HVLP stuff now. Just hobbies now. I still have a jamb gun or two. Once you need finer spray it was a lot easier to step down in gun and needle/nozzle size. That would be a great size for quickly shooting camo on helmets. But you'd need to be moving! Haven't seen too many period paint guns to compare. Yeah, you can do a lot with a full sized gun but it certainly wasn't the standard during the war IMO - especially in the field, late war.

It's an interesting looking job for sure.

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Small world indeed.

Topic strayed from my first comment as they sprayed  before 1949. I don't know as to the originality of the OP's helmet. 

Ken

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Burning Hazard

I remember many years ago in High School cleaning out the drama room storage and finding some gold and silver spray painted helmets (M1 and Tommy); the drama class was using them as props for some of their plays. These were also pretty beat as kids would kick them around and whack each other on the heads while wearing. I wanted to keep some of them as I remember the Tommy helmets being dated 1942 but teacher wouldn't let me.

 

Could this one that suffered the same fate? We may never know.

 

Pat

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13 hours ago, Burning Hazard said:

I remember many years ago in High School cleaning out the drama room storage and finding some gold and silver spray painted helmets (M1 and Tommy); the drama class was using them as props for some of their plays. These were also pretty beat as kids would kick them around and whack each other on the heads while wearing. I wanted to keep some of them as I remember the Tommy helmets being dated 1942 but teacher wouldn't let me.

 

Could this one that suffered the same fate? We may never know.

 

Pat

Pat, I used to substitute teach after I retired from the Navy and one of my regular classes was high school drama, so I know what you mean.  it's hard to tell where a helmet has been since WW2 so anything is possible.  Just based on where I found the helmet, i.e. vet's estate sale, I would say he probably was responsible for the paint job.  When he did it?  That's the question.  I think unless I found a group of commandos calling themselves "the gold crew", who documented their goldish helmet camo patterns, I'll never know.

    I appreciate everyone's inputs.  Thank you very much!

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I think a fact we're missing is that the helmet has late war OD 7/J Hook chinstraps, most dating this helmet to post November of 1944. Looks to be rear seam as well meaning it is most likely not a field repair. I would say this most likely isn't a WW2 Camo job for that reason. Sure, some of these helmets did make it into combat, but with the fact your guy most likely saw some earlier action with the 41st ID and thus made it overseas pre-1945, he most likely would not have used this helmet during the war anyway. Do you know when he went overseas/enlisted and when he left the service? I just don't see a big enough window here for this to be his wartime helmet. Maybe he used it during the occupation, but most likely he probably just ended up with it for whatever reason. And the reason it's gold may be cause he got it for his kid who painted it or whatever. 

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