Navy D-Day helmet with a problem

[JimD]

The problem is not with the helmet. The problem is with trying to figure out who wore it on D-Day.

 

 

I acquired this helmet at the SOS a few years back. Fixed loop with a lot number of 5?1A (made May to June 1943 per the M1 Production Table in Helmets of the ETO by Giard, for whatever that is worth). It is named on the inside in white paint.  It also has some indecipherable scribblings in red paint, which might be the number “51” on top, and “ISLAND” with a backward “S” on the bottom.  Other collectors at the dealer’s table said they could not make out the name in white but to me, it clearly spells the name CHOSTA.  By the way, there is no WWII sailor with the name HOSTA, first initial C or otherwise, listed in ancesty.com..

 

 

I did some quick research at the show and found a Navy man with that last name who served on a vessel that was off Omaha Beach on 6 June. That vessel delivered 1st and 29th Division troops to Omaha Beach via LCVPs.  So, I bought the helmet. The blue band painted on the helmet, of course, indicates that the wearer was a sailor whose duties would take him onto the beaches. After the Show, while at home, I came across another Navy man listed in a single entry on ancestry.com, also named Chosta.  Incidentally, the dealer, who is very reputable and is a sponsor on the forum, told me that the only provenance he had on the helmet was that it came to him via a picker out of Massachusetts. So, it shouldn’t have been difficult to determine the sailor who wore it on D-Day. I mean, what are the chances of two Chostas from Massachusetts serving in the Navy in WWI and both being off the Normandy Coast on 6 June 1944 with duties that took them on or near the beachhead? Turns out, the chances are 100%. 

 

The only two Chostas I found in my research both were in the Navy, both served in WWII, both served in the ETO in 1944, both were assigned to duties on D-day, both operated on the actual beaches and  BOTH were from Massachusetts.  Of course, they were brothers.  Dammit.

 

Frank, who is my current favorite for the helmet, was born in Massachusetts and enlisted on 11 June 1943. Pre-war he worked as a “torch cutter” in the navy Yard  and in various scrap yards so was naturally assigned to a Construction Battalion.  On D-Day, he was a member of the 111th Construction Battalion. The 111th CB was tasked with delivering and maintaining Rhino Ferries off Omaha Beach on D-day and I have found pictures of members of the 111th CB on their Ferries at Omaha Beach. In the photos, some are wearing helmets with the blue band painted on them. Nothing in Frank’s record shows service with any CB unit other than the 111th CB during the war and both the 29th and 96th CB after the war so the writing on the helmet interior that seems to be “35 CB” is not a CB unit in which he served.  No luck there.

 

Paul, the younger brother, was also born in Massachusetts and enlisted in the Navy 5 April 1943.  After training he served on the USS Thurston (AP-77) from December 1943 till December 1944.  On D-day the Thurston had the task of loading men of the 116st and 16th Regiments onto LCVPs and delivering them to Omaha Beach in the 4th, 5th and 7th waves.  If Paul was assigned duty on one of the LCVPs, he also would have had a “blue band” painted on his helmet. I have found photos of sailors on LCVPs on D-Day with the blue band on their helmets and there is an example of one on page 44 of the book Spearheading D-Day by Gawne.

  

 

I doubt there was a third sailor named Chosta on or near the Normandy Beaches on D-day, so I am guessing the owner of the helmet of one of these brothers.

My reason for favoring Frank is two-fold. First, we know that the Rhino Ferry sailors would have had blue bands on their helmets since they were assigned to ferry duty onto the invasion beaches AND had duty ashore setting up and maintaining naval invasion infrastructure.  Second, Paul, as a crew member of the Thurston, would only have the blue band if he was assigned duties on one of the LCVPs from the Thurston that delivered soldiers to the beach.  Those crew members of the Thurston assigned LCVP duty must have been a very very small percentage of the entire crew. The rest of the crew would not have been issued blue band helmets.

I have obtained the personnel records of the brothers and the only clue that might be of help is a notation in Paul’s file that lists his duties while aboard the Thurston. It lists his duties as “ABOARD 1 YEAR, DECK DUTY, 3 MO. COMPARTMENT CLEANING, 3RD DIVISION, G.Q.: FUSE SETTER ON 3”/50, WAS IN TWO INVASIONS”.  It appears that the “3 inch 50” is a gun way too large to have been on an LCVP and would have been a deck gun.

 

My question for Forum members with USN backgrounds or knowledge is, do these enumerated duties preclude Paul from being assigned duties on an LCVP from the Thurston? If he was assigned LCVP duties, would those be listed in addition to what is listed above?  And would his duties as a “fuse setter” on a deck gun preclude him from being anywhere else but on the Thurston’s deck attending a “3 inch 50” gun during active battle? If so, he would not have been assigned duty on an LVCP during the invasion and would not have been issued a blue band helmet.

Both brothers served in the Pacific Theater after D-day and returned to Massachusetts after the war.  Frank served in the Naval Reserve and his records include a Report of Casualty indicating that in 1950 he died after being shot in the chest in a house that was later set afire, and he “was shot, presumably by his father with an army rifle”.  Paul eventually moved to Minnesota after the war where he died in 1997.

[max0073]

Hello,

very nice helmet !

FOr me, the letter before CHOSTA is an "F" leading me to believe it belonged to Frank !

Max

[JimD]

I wish it was an "F" but I think it is actually the "I" in the red lettered "ISLAND" that can be seen in the third picture.

[manayunkman]

The younger brother.

 

Did CBs wear this type of helmet?

[JimD]

34 minutes ago, manayunkman said:

The younger brother.

 

Did CBs wear this type of helmet?

The fourth picture is a Rhino Ferry with CBs on board. Most if not all seem to be wearing M1s with painted bands, presumably blue. Frank was assigned on one of these as a part of the 111th CB.  

[Nickman983]

Better pictures of the inside near the name might  help make this make more sense, but is it possible that the it says "CR 25" and not "CB 35" underneath "Chosta"?

 

I'm kind of leaning towards it being Fank's. The 111th was part of the 25th Naval Construction Regiment.

 

Here's a PDF a partial history of the 111th NCB. It has Frank listed as D company 6th Platoon. No documented pictures of him sadly and no clear photos of marked helmets.

https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/Cruisebooks/wwiicruisebooks/ncb-cruisebooks/111 NCB 1943-44.pdf

 

In the commendations section a James R Spear, who is also listed as being part of D company 6th Platoon, is listed as receiving a purple heart and a shrapnel wound to the right thigh as a result of enemy action.

 

I assume it's likely that the incident took place on DDay or the days after but I've had no luck finding information on him or why he was awarded a purple heart. Point being though, I believe that this is a good indication that Frank was involved with the Rhino/shore operations on DDay or shortly thereafter. I think it's more likely that he would have had a band on his helmet given the circumstances but I'll let other's chime in.

 

You may have already found this in your research, but here's a photo of him during his time in the pacific, he's third from the right on the top row, this time with Company A, Platoon 2

[sigsaye]

3rd Division is Weapons on Amphibs. He would not have been routinely assigned to a boat crew. During invasions, the ship would be at GQ, so, he would be at his gun. By the way, a 3 inch 50, is roughly the same as a 75mm, if that helps

[sigsaye]

These are 3 inch 50 cal Naval guns. The single was very common in WW2. The Twin was more a post war replacement for the 40mm Bofors. I served on 3 ships that carried these. 

[JimD]

16 hours ago, Nickman983 said:

Better pictures of the inside near the name might  help make this make more sense, but is it possible that the it says "CR 25" and not "CB 35" underneath "Chosta"?

 

I'm kind of leaning towards it being Fank's. The 111th was part of the 25th Naval Construction Regiment.

 

Here's a PDF a partial history of the 111th NCB. It has Frank listed as D company 6th Platoon. No documented pictures of him sadly and no clear photos of marked helmets.

https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/Cruisebooks/wwiicruisebooks/ncb-cruisebooks/111 NCB 1943-44.pdf

 

In the commendations section a James R Spear, who is also listed as being part of D company 6th Platoon, is listed as receiving a purple heart and a shrapnel wound to the right thigh as a result of enemy action.

 

I assume it's likely that the incident took place on DDay or the days after but I've had no luck finding information on him or why he was awarded a purple heart. Point being though, I believe that this is a good indication that Frank was involved with the Rhino/shore operations on DDay or shortly thereafter. I think it's more likely that he would have had a band on his helmet given the circumstances but I'll let other's chime in.

 

You may have already found this in your research, but here's a photo of him during his time in the pacific, he's third from the right on the top row, this time with Company A, Platoon 2

I've done lots and lots of research but somehow missed that photo. Thank you and thanks for the additional information. 

[Nickman983]

2 hours ago, JimD said:

I've done lots and lots of research but somehow missed that photo. Thank you and thanks for the additional information. 

 

Your welcome, the picture is from the second yearbook of the 111th, covering their time post ETO until the end of the war. I believe it says that the 111th arrived back stateside around the end of 1944 in Massachusetts and had a 30 day leave before departing for the PTO. Pure speculation but this could provide one possible explanation for how the helmet made it home, assuming Frank is your man. If you have a fold3 account searching his name should yield that yearbook as one of the few results.

 

 

[sigsaye]

If the other one was a fuse setter on a 3 inch gun, he would not be leaving the ship during an invasion, so the helmet would not be his. If it was, it would most likely be marked with his gun number (MT 3x). 

[Salvage Sailor]

USN 3" gun crew