Thursday, December 1, 2011

M1 Helmet Liner Video

.


Last week I posted a Youtube on my M1 helmet collection.

Yesterday I did a companion video on the M1 helmet liner, showcasing 14 liners that are marked, including  military police, and divisional markings.

You can link to it here.


I hope you enjoy it.



.






Sunday, November 27, 2011

U.S. M1 Helmet: The Video

.


From tin derby to the steel pot (in ten minutes)


It took a while, but I finally shot and cut a video on the good old M1 which you can view here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ6O8Db1va4

I do hope you enjoy it.

Mannie


Or you can watch it here on the little screen. By the way, I expect to have a higher resolution version
 up soon.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

US Marine Corps Military Police M1 liner

"Tell it to the Marines..."

As with all branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Marine Corps has always had it's own law enforcement branch.  Military Police of any branch are often an ornery bunch, no more so than Marine MPs.
 


This distinctive lid sports the yellow and red color scheme that typifies all things Marine Corps.  The red and yellow stripes are nearly always present on the helmets, or in this instance, the liners, of
Marine MPs... 


as well as base security personnel... 


in this instance, the main gate guard

Although both have helmets sporting the stripes as well as the distinctive "Eagle Globe and Anchor" (EGA) device of the Marine Corps, only the Military Police display the large block letters "MP".


 



The hand-painted stripes wrap around the entire helmet save for the very front.
During my four-year hitch in the U.S. Navy I never encountered any Marine MPs, though I surely had a brush or two with Navy SPs - Shore Patrol (see here),  I had plenty of experience with helmeted USMC sentries and gate guards, like the ones below.


They were terse but unfailingly professional, and always, always, quite aloof toward the sailors over whom they watched.




This is a grommeted Firestone liner, typical in all respects of a WWII or Korean War  era M1 liner.



Although is has a ding toward the dome and a crack on the rear left skirt...



it is in very nice condition and quite complete and a very showy addition to my collection.




 The EGA is original to this lid and shows only light wear.


 

It's mounted through the grommet with an impressive brass washer and screw-back.

Although the Firestone "F" in the dome did not photograph well, the  marking on the nape-strap did:






The liner suspension appears to be the mix of early light green and later dark green webbing that typifies a liner that was in service for many, many years.



I acquired this helmet along with the armband at the Bridge Street Antique Mall in  Grand Rapids Michigan in 1995.



A very handsome piece.








And speaking of Marines...

Now you may or may not remember my friend Jim who gave me this really cool M-16 German "high visor" helmet a while back (which you can revisit here).


Jim was a great kid who has grown into an outstanding young man.  Here's a picture of Jim now:


He just completed his first year as a United States Marine and we are all very proud of him.

Keep on collecting!



     .

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

In the Eye of the Beholder

My eagle-eyed sweetheart spotted these objects d'art outside a studio in the trendy little town of Berkeley Springs West Virginia.   Ouch!


I guess not every M1 is a keeper in it's own right.



Giant lady bug anyone?  (do I have the look of a critic, or what?)




Did I check to see if front or rear-seam, swivel or fixed bails?  Nope, just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Out in the art trenches,

Mannie



Thursday, March 3, 2011

The Last Doughboy


An era ends, with the passing of America's sole remaining veteran of the Great War

Frank Buckles, A.E.F.


(photo by David DeJonge)


More information here

I'm so pleased to have made his acquaintance.

Mannie

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Helmets at the Gettysburg Museum of History


You never know where cool helmets may be lurking. The Gettysburg Museum of History in Gettysburg PA is a small but collections-intensive museum with outstanding artifacts of impeccable provenance.

Collector, director, and chief curator Erik Dorr provides gracious hospitality as well as a breath-taking collection.

His American Civil War collection is the main attraction for most, with discrete collections that take the breath away.

He also has an impressive John F. Kennedy collection, with new items frequently going on display.

My visits there generally find me with my covetous nose pressed against the glass behind which a small percentage of his helmets reside.




He has a frequently changing exhibit and everything is good, from this garden-variety M-17 with a bullet-hole...


to this beautiful hand-painted doughboy helmet from the Great War.
 

Wherever the eye falls in this cheek-by-jowel collection, really nice specimens of tin lids pop out at you.


Next time you find yourself in Gettysburg, do yourself a big favor and support this tidy facility with a visit and a donation, you'll thank me for the heads-up.