Camouflage Parachute-Like Thing

[reuscher]

Hello,

 

I found this "thing" Friday at the thrift store and it cost me all of a 1.50. I went for it because I thought it'd make a neat back drop for displays. It seems to be made of a light nylon type material and is huge - maybe 10ft x 12ft - so I thought it might be a parachute of some sort. But, it's more square or rectangular in shape with only four ties at each corner. There's an elaborate pattern of seams throughout it. I can't find any nomenclature stamp, just the tiny paper tag pictured that says size & lot. Can anyone tell what this is, and approx when it was made?

 

Thanks to all.

 

 

[reuscher]

[reuscher]

[reuscher]

[reuscher]

[CamoDeafie]

Looks a lot like the mitchell pattern, but I don't know if its actual VN era or if its a copy...all I can think is its a sort of camo tarp or cover for vehicles or equipment?

[doyler]

Looks like a piece of a camo cargo chute

 

RON

[Abby K-9]

Your guess was pretty good - it's indeed a piece of a camouflage parachute. I know this camouflage pattern was used on parachutes in World War II through Vietnam. I am not sure when they stopped using it, or how to tell the difference between ones used in World War II and ones used later.

 

There's a thread on the forum here - http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...?showtopic=2062 - showing parachute material similar to this being used as helmet covers in World War II.

 

TopPots sells strips of the material to use as scarves for display or reenactment, here - http://toppots.net/main.php?do=clientprodu...id=91&type=

 

And there's a photo of a model of a Viet Cong located in Cu Chi Vietnam, using a chute like that as camouflage, here - http://pro.corbis.com/search/Enlargement.a...1-6E5FCF999B55}

 

This site here - http://www.vhpamuseum.org/badguys/badguys.shtml - has two photos of Vietnamese pith helmets using US parachute material like yours for camouflage.

[craig_pickrall]

Looks a lot like the mitchell pattern, but I don't know if its actual VN era or if its a copy...all I can think is its a sort of camo tarp or cover for vehicles or equipment?

 

I am confused by your Mitchell pattern comment. It may have been a bad typing moment or whatever but that pattern is nothing like Mitchell. This helmet cover and shelter half is Mitchell pattern.

 

[reuscher]

Thanks for the replys. Though it seems like parachute, it confused me because of the lack of anything substantial to use to attach it to something, and its shape. It seems complete though, as it has edge stitching like on blankets all the way around it.

[USMC RAIDER COLLECTOR]

P.S. They make great table covers at military shows..nice score on the price

[Abby K-9]

Though it seems like parachute, it confused me because of the lack of anything substantial to use to attach it to something, and its shape. It seems complete though, as it has edge stitching like on blankets all the way around it.

 

It sounds to me like you have a piece of a parachute that has been used for something else. USMC Raider Collector may be on to something when he mentions table covers, as a parachute would not have blanket-stitching around the edges, but that could be something someone had done to prevent the edges from fraying while using the chute piece as a back drop or table cover for their collection or selling militaria. These parachutes tend to fray quite a bit along the edges if they're cut up, just with regular use (or in the case of small pieces, wearing as a scarf). Blanket-stitching would certainly prevent that kind of fraying.

[doyler]

its a section of parachute.The cargo chutes were huge.Not uncommon for these to be cut up.Usually when chutes are deemed unusable/unsafe they are demilled.The shroud lines cut off and the chute cut up so it cannot be used.I have a couple canopies that were from a reserve SF unit a friend belonged to.He told me about the above procedure when they got rid of chutes that were not serviceable or outlived their life.The items were then to be buried or destroyed seperately.Course many ended up as car covers.

 

Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s a local surplus store had boxes of sections of chutes for sale.Some were sewn around the edge to finnish them off(by the surplus store)some were not.

 

RON

[Abby K-9]

Here's a picture showing two of the chutes I have. They're the same camouflage pattern, but the material is slightly different. One is smooth and the other one is kinda textured, like the one shown in the first post. Does anyone know how to tell which type is the earlier (WWII) or later type of chute? Can you tell by the material?

 

[reuscher]

On my 4th picture you can see the heavy white edge stitching along with one of the ties. It is this way all the way round with a tie in each corner. The work appears professionally done. It certainly seems then these chutes were reconstituted for other uses. The question is by who and what for? Again this is quite large; perhaps 10 x 12 ft.

[A/517]

If the Camouflage canopy hanging from the ceiling of the restuarant in Sainte Mere Eglise is anything to go by, i'd say the smoother type is more WWII Era. The canopy hanging in the restuarant was dragged off the 505th DZ by the owner of the place, kept it for years and hung it from a ceiling as a display when Sainte Mere Eglise became a tourist attraction.

 

Regards, Bez

[gwb123]

It's hard to tell exactly what you have. But I am told that parachute riggers often salvaged old parachutes. They also had a sewing section within their units IIRC. Very likely it was a condemned chute that was converted to another purpose, perhaps a camo cover for a vehicle or piece of equipment.