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Odd PASGT helmet, transition or refit?


P-59A
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These are not in my wheelhouse. So I have not seen this type before. Its combat worn is from the vet. Can someone pin this down?

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Oregon Aero BLSS kit, any soldier could buy these and upgrade their pasgt with them. You started seeing these a short while after the advent of the MICH pattern helmet. Seen occasionally when pasgt helmets were used post 2000. They were most common with air force personnel from what I've seen.

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12 minutes ago, Sapsan said:

Oregon Aero BLSS kit, any soldier could buy these and upgrade their pasgt with them. You started seeing these a short while after the advent of the MICH pattern helmet. Seen occasionally when pasgt helmets were used post 2000. They were most common with air force personnel from what I've seen.

Thanks for the info 

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Oregon Aero BLSS Kit (Ballistic Helmet Liner & Suspension System) for The PASGT Helmet

Brand: Oregon Aero

 

Price:$225.00..... Why not just get another helmet....YIKES!!!!!

61ckncHelvL._AC_SL1200_.jpg

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According to the official U.S. Army history of wound ballistics from WW2 to Korea [ http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/woundblstcs/chapter11.htm]

70, 000 troops were saved by wearing the M1 steel helmet. We lost 368, 000 dead in WW2 so saving 70K is nothing short of a minor miracle. However, retaining the helmet of the head with an adequate 3 or 4 point suspension system seems to have been unfathomable by the U.S. Army that tried to make-do with a single chinstrap and other work-arounds despite the fact that they only had to look at the German Paratrooper's helmet to see an effective 3 point suspension in use. That the current U.S. Army PASGT helmet and the M1 steel pot before it still has the defective single chinstrap 6 decades and thousands of dead later is inexcusable incompetence.

In CHAPTER XII: Wound Ballistics and Body Armor in Korea by Carl M. Herget, Ph. D., Capt. George B. Coe, Ord Corps,and Maj. James C. Beyer, MC [ http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/woundblstcs/chapter12.1.htm]

They observe:

"Not all Soldiers wore their helmet, because of its weight, lack of stability, and so forth. Many men on patrols complained about the noise made by the helmet when it came in contact with bushes and twigs and felt also that the helmet interfered with their hearing. For these reasons, some men on patrol preferred not to wear their helmets. These objections to the helmet can be overcome by continuing indoctrination and by improving the helmet characteristics, especially its stability on the head."

So here you have Army medical officers advancing the state of troop body armor as a "preventative medicine measure" and not the infantry whose lives they want to save. What is wrong with this picture? Why are medical officers having to drag the narcissistic egomaniac infantry ahead to save themselves? Do they think they are bullet-proof? Notice helmet design is under the control of the infantry today--Fort Benning---is it a wonder that we still have defective chinstraps on our PASGT helmets? They have no clue how dangerous the Non-Linear Battlefield (NLB) is today when they spend most of their time working on their bodies via sports attire PT so they can pick up chicks and look like what the phony Army/marine bureaucracy thinks they should look like. Image is important to fool the tax payers, substance and performance in combat is not. The people who do know are the Army doctors who try to desperately patch the egomaniacs up and see what happens when even they do reassemble the "Follow Me!" Disciple that the body sometimes refuses to work again. We have the wrong people in charge of troop body armor. If the egomaniac infantry is not interested in saving themselves from a flag-draped coffin ending, then Army Medical Branch should be placed in charge of body armor design and development as should Army engineers should be in charge of armored vehicle design since they know what high explosives can do on the NLB.

Furthermore, this BS of doing half-assed field training not wearing body armor and ammunition loads which distorts our Soldier's load planning and field living skills development to learn how to live lighter in the field with less equipment must end forever. This trash talk that we will "train as we fight" must stop and the actual deeds done. The way to do this is by ending our "Beetle Bailey" garrison mindset and fixation with static buildings and lawn care by completely ISO containerizing ourselves and everything we own and operate into "BattleBoxes" that are in the field every day on every Army post so every day we dress for war to include full body armor, ammunition loads and weaponry.

The following article by Army and marine enlistedman and officer Mike Sparks begins at today's PASGT "kevlar" helmet which replaced the M1 steel "pot" helmet but kept the pathetic single chinstrap.

Wednesday, November 15, 1995 with 2005 UPDATE!
THE FORT BRAGG POST                                                          

Another Paratrooper is dead after a "routine" parachute jump, possibly after his PASGT kevlar(r) helmet became unsecured. Last year, it was a sub-120 pound jumper getting towed: she died when her helmet too, fell of as she banged against the plane. Light jumpers should be at the end of the stick so they can be discovered/pulled in by the jumpmaster if towed. A new DA Form 1306 Aircraft Loading manifest with blocks to fill in the Soldier's height/weight and number of jumps, special equipment would increase jumpmaster situational awareness and insure lighter Paratroopers jump last in their sticks. If we had a streamlined T-21 parachute with the reserve at the back with the main, we wouldn't have some much clutter causing Paratroopers to get snagged upon exits out narrow jump doors like the C-130 has. Even if you adjust the helmet "by-the-book" the current chinstrap is notorious for popping loose at the "pull-the-dot" metal snap and sags low over your eyes regardless when low-crawling.

SOLUTION #1: THE GENTEX 3-POINT SUSPENSION CHINSTRAP

GENTEX CO.
POB 315
Carbondale, PA 18407
(717) 282-8555

To prevent further head injuries, what we need now is a Fastex(r)-buckle 3 or 4-point suspension chinstrap for the PASGT Kevlar(r) helmet, which will keep the helmet securely on in an effort to save your life from impact. The current metal "pull-the-dot" snap corrodes, bends and is notoriously unreliable.

WWII German Fallschirmjaegers had 3 point-suspension chinstraps, why not us today in the 21st Century?

 

Click on Picture for details

http://germanmilitariacollectibles.com/blog/2008_11_01_archive.html The Fallschirmjager Helmet

http://germanmilitariacollectibles.com/blog/uploaded_images/Img4-736354.jpg

Fallschirmjager in German is actually three words. They mean, "fall, umbrella and hunter". Combine it and you have a "fighter from the skies".

The Fallschirmjageror Paratrooper wore a different uniform and insignia than the regular ground troops. His helmet also was one of unusual design. It is apparent that it was copied from the standard M35 helmet with the probability of having parts omitted. The visor and earguards were removed to enable the headgear to be more compact and thus avoiding much of the protrusive parts in air maneuvering.

The necessity of a different strap assembly was provided to prevent the loss of the helmet in the air and also giving more safety to the chin and neck regions from jolts and pressures. This is known as a "chin harness". There were four variations:

1. Early issue was grey leather, backed by chamois on the side that touched the face. It had a quick release buckle of two positions with snaps.

2. A wider but thinner material, grey leather with ersatz (fake) chamois backing and a standard slide buckle.

3. Late issue, very hard leather and instead of the slide straps being sewn, they were riveted on. The harness was much thicker than the first two.

4. Remade harness: After the Paratroopers were taken off jump status and used as infantrymen for the duration of the war their helmets were refitted with a D-ring and a standard buckle as the standard German army helmet. These were not as heavy or bulky as the jump issue.

For shock more padding was necessary and special allowances were used in the dome with the support of a rubber lining that ran almost the extent of the interior. This was covered with a leather lining and contained twelve holes for ventilation. The helmets were issued in the following metric sizes; 54, 55,56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61.

Instead of the regular type rivets for securing the liner to the shell, a bolt and nut system was used. This again was for prevention of breakage that could occur in the air. Some examples are known, and some "raw edges" were produced, but otherwise all paratrooper helmets had a "rolled edge". Paratrooper helmets had the silver Luftwaffe insignia on the left side (few examples were produced at the beginning of the war with Wehrmacht insignia) and national colors on the right.

Helmet Covers

1. Cloth helmet cover, blue grey with slots for camouflaging. These were first used on Crete.

2. Two different patterns of camouflage coversbeing a early issue and late issue. These were the same type as the camoflage smocks(jump suit) held on by clips with slots etc.

3. Chicken wire cover. These were of heavier steel than normal chicken wire. They were sized to the helmet and held on by two clips, one on each side.

4. Net type cover. Large holes in the netting. Liner was removed then net put over the helmet and liner replaced.

5. Mud Covering. Helmets were covered with mud and allowed to dry. This gave the blue-grey helmet more of an earth color.

The 2nd Fallschirmjager Division that saw service in North Africa, used the standard paratrooper helmet with Luftwaffe decal-insignia. All were painted an Africa Korps tan, by the parachute riggers and personal equipment men of each Regt. They brushed on two or three coats of standard paint that was used on trucks etc. In doing this they covered up the flying eagle insignia. The paint jobs ran from excellent to poor, depending on how rushed they were and the craft-ability of the artist.

Floyd R. Tubbs, Stahlhelm, Evolution of the German Steel Helmet, Author Published, 1971

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2 minutes ago, P-59A said:

According to the official U.S. Army history of wound ballistics from WW2 to Korea [ http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/woundblstcs/chapter11.htm]

70, 000 troops were saved by wearing the M1 steel helmet. We lost 368, 000 dead in WW2 so saving 70K is nothing short of a minor miracle. However, retaining the helmet of the head with an adequate 3 or 4 point suspension system seems to have been unfathomable by the U.S. Army that tried to make-do with a single chinstrap and other work-arounds despite the fact that they only had to look at the German Paratrooper's helmet to see an effective 3 point suspension in use. That the current U.S. Army PASGT helmet and the M1 steel pot before it still has the defective single chinstrap 6 decades and thousands of dead later is inexcusable incompetence.

In CHAPTER XII: Wound Ballistics and Body Armor in Korea by Carl M. Herget, Ph. D., Capt. George B. Coe, Ord Corps,and Maj. James C. Beyer, MC [ http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/woundblstcs/chapter12.1.htm]

They observe:

"Not all Soldiers wore their helmet, because of its weight, lack of stability, and so forth. Many men on patrols complained about the noise made by the helmet when it came in contact with bushes and twigs and felt also that the helmet interfered with their hearing. For these reasons, some men on patrol preferred not to wear their helmets. These objections to the helmet can be overcome by continuing indoctrination and by improving the helmet characteristics, especially its stability on the head."

So here you have Army medical officers advancing the state of troop body armor as a "preventative medicine measure" and not the infantry whose lives they want to save. What is wrong with this picture? Why are medical officers having to drag the narcissistic egomaniac infantry ahead to save themselves? Do they think they are bullet-proof? Notice helmet design is under the control of the infantry today--Fort Benning---is it a wonder that we still have defective chinstraps on our PASGT helmets? They have no clue how dangerous the Non-Linear Battlefield (NLB) is today when they spend most of their time working on their bodies via sports attire PT so they can pick up chicks and look like what the phony Army/marine bureaucracy thinks they should look like. Image is important to fool the tax payers, substance and performance in combat is not. The people who do know are the Army doctors who try to desperately patch the egomaniacs up and see what happens when even they do reassemble the "Follow Me!" Disciple that the body sometimes refuses to work again. We have the wrong people in charge of troop body armor. If the egomaniac infantry is not interested in saving themselves from a flag-draped coffin ending, then Army Medical Branch should be placed in charge of body armor design and development as should Army engineers should be in charge of armored vehicle design since they know what high explosives can do on the NLB.

Furthermore, this BS of doing half-assed field training not wearing body armor and ammunition loads which distorts our Soldier's load planning and field living skills development to learn how to live lighter in the field with less equipment must end forever. This trash talk that we will "train as we fight" must stop and the actual deeds done. The way to do this is by ending our "Beetle Bailey" garrison mindset and fixation with static buildings and lawn care by completely ISO containerizing ourselves and everything we own and operate into "BattleBoxes" that are in the field every day on every Army post so every day we dress for war to include full body armor, ammunition loads and weaponry.

The following article by Army and marine enlistedman and officer Mike Sparks begins at today's PASGT "kevlar" helmet which replaced the M1 steel "pot" helmet but kept the pathetic single chinstrap.

Wednesday, November 15, 1995 with 2005 UPDATE!
THE FORT BRAGG POST                                                          

Another Paratrooper is dead after a "routine" parachute jump, possibly after his PASGT kevlar(r) helmet became unsecured. Last year, it was a sub-120 pound jumper getting towed: she died when her helmet too, fell of as she banged against the plane. Light jumpers should be at the end of the stick so they can be discovered/pulled in by the jumpmaster if towed. A new DA Form 1306 Aircraft Loading manifest with blocks to fill in the Soldier's height/weight and number of jumps, special equipment would increase jumpmaster situational awareness and insure lighter Paratroopers jump last in their sticks. If we had a streamlined T-21 parachute with the reserve at the back with the main, we wouldn't have some much clutter causing Paratroopers to get snagged upon exits out narrow jump doors like the C-130 has. Even if you adjust the helmet "by-the-book" the current chinstrap is notorious for popping loose at the "pull-the-dot" metal snap and sags low over your eyes regardless when low-crawling.

SOLUTION #1: THE GENTEX 3-POINT SUSPENSION CHINSTRAP

GENTEX CO.
POB 315
Carbondale, PA 18407
(717) 282-8555

To prevent further head injuries, what we need now is a Fastex(r)-buckle 3 or 4-point suspension chinstrap for the PASGT Kevlar(r) helmet, which will keep the helmet securely on in an effort to save your life from impact. The current metal "pull-the-dot" snap corrodes, bends and is notoriously unreliable.

WWII German Fallschirmjaegers had 3 point-suspension chinstraps, why not us today in the 21st Century?

 

Click on Picture for details

http://germanmilitariacollectibles.com/blog/2008_11_01_archive.html The Fallschirmjager Helmet

http://germanmilitariacollectibles.com/blog/uploaded_images/Img4-736354.jpg

Fallschirmjager in German is actually three words. They mean, "fall, umbrella and hunter". Combine it and you have a "fighter from the skies".

The Fallschirmjageror Paratrooper wore a different uniform and insignia than the regular ground troops. His helmet also was one of unusual design. It is apparent that it was copied from the standard M35 helmet with the probability of having parts omitted. The visor and earguards were removed to enable the headgear to be more compact and thus avoiding much of the protrusive parts in air maneuvering.

The necessity of a different strap assembly was provided to prevent the loss of the helmet in the air and also giving more safety to the chin and neck regions from jolts and pressures. This is known as a "chin harness". There were four variations:

1. Early issue was grey leather, backed by chamois on the side that touched the face. It had a quick release buckle of two positions with snaps.

2. A wider but thinner material, grey leather with ersatz (fake) chamois backing and a standard slide buckle.

3. Late issue, very hard leather and instead of the slide straps being sewn, they were riveted on. The harness was much thicker than the first two.

4. Remade harness: After the Paratroopers were taken off jump status and used as infantrymen for the duration of the war their helmets were refitted with a D-ring and a standard buckle as the standard German army helmet. These were not as heavy or bulky as the jump issue.

For shock more padding was necessary and special allowances were used in the dome with the support of a rubber lining that ran almost the extent of the interior. This was covered with a leather lining and contained twelve holes for ventilation. The helmets were issued in the following metric sizes; 54, 55,56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61.

Instead of the regular type rivets for securing the liner to the shell, a bolt and nut system was used. This again was for prevention of breakage that could occur in the air. Some examples are known, and some "raw edges" were produced, but otherwise all paratrooper helmets had a "rolled edge". Paratrooper helmets had the silver Luftwaffe insignia on the left side (few examples were produced at the beginning of the war with Wehrmacht insignia) and national colors on the right.

Helmet Covers

1. Cloth helmet cover, blue grey with slots for camouflaging. These were first used on Crete.

2. Two different patterns of camouflage coversbeing a early issue and late issue. These were the same type as the camoflage smocks(jump suit) held on by clips with slots etc.

3. Chicken wire cover. These were of heavier steel than normal chicken wire. They were sized to the helmet and held on by two clips, one on each side.

4. Net type cover. Large holes in the netting. Liner was removed then net put over the helmet and liner replaced.

5. Mud Covering. Helmets were covered with mud and allowed to dry. This gave the blue-grey helmet more of an earth color.

The 2nd Fallschirmjager Division that saw service in North Africa, used the standard paratrooper helmet with Luftwaffe decal-insignia. All were painted an Africa Korps tan, by the parachute riggers and personal equipment men of each Regt. They brushed on two or three coats of standard paint that was used on trucks etc. In doing this they covered up the flying eagle insignia. The paint jobs ran from excellent to poor, depending on how rushed they were and the craft-ability of the artist.

Floyd R. Tubbs, Stahlhelm, Evolution of the German Steel Helmet, Author Published, 1971

I had no idea about any of this....more YIKES!!!!!   The rest of that story    http://www.combatreform.org/chinstrap.htm

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PMAN12094

I've heard stories of paratroopers jumping and end up killed from it now I know one of the ways it happens. I got a nos pasgt chin strap to put on mine trying to snap it in place can be a pain in the rump some times especially if you don't get it at the right angle then you got to try and get it off witch becomes a pain. I picked up a parachutes retention strap im guessing its for the helmet im not sure what to do with it I didnt want to pass it up for 2 bucks considering its still in the original packaging. 

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I'm not sure I follow the logic on the PASGT causing deaths.  I jumped 55 times between 1987 and 1990 and earned my Master Parachutists badge at Fort Bragg.  Once you become a Jumpmaster you also attend periodic reviews of jumping accidents.  If adjusted correctly the helmet was quite solid.  When I fitted my helmet for my head I had to take the regular PASGT, add a rear pad (sometime called the brain blotter) and a pair of straps that we called rabbit ears because when preparing for jumping we would stick them up under the cover band in the rear before final rigging.  They wrapped around the chin strap giving you four points of attachment.  I saw one inexperienced jumper not properly secure his rabbit ears, causing the helmet to pitch forward upon exiting the aircraft and peeling the skin off the front of his nose, but as best I remember, in those three years no one was injured or killed by the helmet falling off.

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PMAN12094
3 hours ago, thorin6 said:

I'm not sure I follow the logic on the PASGT causing deaths.  I jumped 55 times between 1987 and 1990 and earned my Master Parachutists badge at Fort Bragg.  Once you become a Jumpmaster you also attend periodic reviews of jumping accidents.  If adjusted correctly the helmet was quite solid.  When I fitted my helmet for my head I had to take the regular PASGT, add a rear pad (sometime called the brain blotter) and a pair of straps that we called rabbit ears because when preparing for jumping we would stick them up under the cover band in the rear before final rigging.  They wrapped around the chin strap giving you four points of attachment.  I saw one inexperienced jumper not properly secure his rabbit ears, causing the helmet to pitch forward upon exiting the aircraft and peeling the skin off the front of his nose, but as best I remember, in those three years no one was injured or killed by the helmet falling off.

I’ve been after that pad for a while it just seems like they are getting harder and harder to find.

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mohawkALSE
14 hours ago, PMAN12094 said:

I’ve been after that pad for a while it just seems like they are getting harder and harder to find.

https://militarystripes.com/product/gi-pasgt-parachutist-helmet-pad-impact-liner/

 

Those used to be all over the place on ebay and the PX always used to sell them and the rabbit ears retention straps.

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