M1 "Shrimp Net" / Helmet Net With Band

[Hambone]

I picked this up off @#$. The source was a nice lady, antique seller with all kinds of things, nothing militaria. She had about 10 of these all sold out. She said she picked them up awhile back at a garage / estate sale where there was a lot of military surplus. The card is 100% original, the one I got matches identically to the ones that were clipped to my NOS "Helmet Net With Band" ("HNWB") 30 years + ago .(with the band tied to the net, and the card clipped to the set). The card is ink printed, not laser or anything like that and is the same card, same construction. However, this is a "shrimp net" small weave and different from the two slightly different weave issue made HNWB nets I have which were picked up back in the 80s when these things were dirt cheap. These nets look just like some in the superb "shrimp net" info on the 90th Div site. The price on these things was cheaper than what sellers on @#$# are offering "shrimp nets" cut from vehicle nets. They have the old smell and the material is cotton, old, and looks right. What do you think? Is this maybe theatre cut and packaged for issue with the cards? Someone cut these and mated them with original cards to sell for $5-10 at a garage sale? Interested to hear thoughts. Thanks!

[Nickman983]

I actually just picked up one of these M44 nets and got it in the mail today. Based on what I've seen I think yours is cut from a vehicle net rather than being a US issued example. The weave looks different from the issued examples I've seen. I think the card itself might be a good reproduction, I could be wrong though. There's a detail on it that looks off compared to original examples I'm seeing.

[Hambone]

Thanks Nickman. I have two NOS 100% original with card and band as I stated and the cards are identical to this one, albeit used. There are at least two weave variations to the ones I have which are 100% original and textbook correct. Both were acquired when these were not reproduced, the late 80s. 

[king802]

When people use the term Shrimp nets it applies to many different variations. There are of course the type cut from vehicle nets but early War BRITISH and Canadian woven nets are also mistaken for shrimp nets. Many of these vehicle nets in similar configurations were used by various NATO members up until the 80’s and 90’s so there are many different examples out there and not necessarily of WW2 origin. Many years ago I bought a damaged Canadian WW2 net -cut it up and sold them on this forum. At the Ciney show in Belgium back in April there was a lot of shrimp net material about. 

[Hambone]

Thanks King, I was aware of that. It’s good information and is worth stating because people believe that these “shrimp nets” were only a WW2 thing. I believe that they probably weren’t as manufactured postwar as they were generally ineffective. Do we have photos and such of the various postwar manufactured vehicle nets? I have seen the various postwar helmet nets. 

[Hambone]

BTW, I’m a Commonwealth helmet collector and have a good number of them, along with the variant nets. As a “net geek” I’m versed on the various Commonwealth net weaves and patterns along with even some for which we’ve identified the makers. The weave of the “textbook” “Net, Helmet, With Band” is consistent with Commonwealth patterns, particularly the camouflage face veils.

[Hambone]

…………….

 

[Burning Hazard]

Is there a way to tell post-war manufactured vehicle netting? I can only compare to period photographs and the netting looks identical (as seen above). I do know post-war netting tends to have nylon but maybe not all do?

 

Interestingly, I came across a post-war Israeli helmet that had the hexagon hole shrimp net. Israel had their specific weave for helmet nets but this one was hexagon hole, likely re-used from WWII.

 

Pat

[Hambone]

Pat,

First, great info on your post on this topic. As for the netting, the best information is set forth in the official regs and documents provided by the 90th Div. site:

http://www.90thidpg.us/Research/Original/ShrimpNet/index.html

 

From a research perspective, this is how it's done. We know the camouflage effect of these large vehicle nets was less than zero, that is, it called attention to the equipment sought to be camouflaged. However, this netting worked fine at the "micro" level, on helmets, as it broke up glare and outline. So, it is safe to assume (and shown by the regs) that this style netting would be cut up for individual helmet nets. It would also be logical that this type of failed net for things larger than an individual helmet would NOT be perpetuated after WW2, particularly in an environment with much more air assets (e.g., helicopters, dedicated spy aircraft, aircraft, satellites, etc.). I would not think these nets would be made postwar for anything but helmets. I would also think that mountains of these and the helmet nets would be available as surplus postwar. For example, the Canadian nets were used into the 80s, perhaps even now. The same was true of British nets, the larger ones for the MKIII (and then MkIV) helmets they issued. Those nets will also fit the kevlars of today. There are still large numbers of many of these from WW2 unused, and available today. Thus, my thoughts are that these "shrimp nets" were not made postwar. Certainly too, cotton is not a good material for these nets with modern synthetics. It's a terrible material when anything else is available.

 

The Israelis and many other countries used huge amounts of WW2 surplus in the 40s-60s, from K98ks, to Brens, to Enfields, to Mk.II helmets, to fieldgear, to I'm sure, nets.

Cheers,

HB

[king802]

FM5-20B. Camouflage of Vehicles. April 1944 has a page on Vehicle shrimp nets. 

[Hambone]

That's good stuff King. Thanks.