Dating Tanker Helmet Use — Be Flexible

[Guy56]

All,

Please pardon my absence. I’ve been sorting through helmets, helmet pictures, test documents, etc.  

 

While sorting through my photos, I spotted some gems that I had forgotten about. Several photos I have dealt with the 1919-Pattern (AKA Chaffee helmet) tanker helmet. Amazingly, the 1919-Pattern tanker helmet was used as late as 1940, assuming the photo is dated correctly. I also have several of 1937-dated photos of the 1919-Pattern helmet in use.  Why so late? Some units in the U.S. Army are more equal than others and new equipment is fielded to them first. Lower priority units use what they have until  they eventually get the newer equipment. So tankers wearing the 1919-Pattern helmets in the late 1930s and early 1940s were almost certainly in lower priority units. When I was on active duty I served in a low priority division from 1986 to 1989, the 5th Infantry Division (Mech).  
 

If you want to see the 1937-dated photos let me know. 

[Paul Reijnders]

Great picture, thanks for sharing Guy.

 

Regards, Paul