Wearing of WW2 US helmet strap.

[Gary Jucha]

Having watched many WW2 films over the years, a question has always bugged me concerning the wearing of WW2 US helmets.

"In the films" !!! ... you tend to always see the American soldier wearing his helmet with the chin straps pinned up over the rim of the helmet.
.. My question is .... ??
Was this recommended practice ? .. ie were the soldiers taught to rely on the fitting of the liner to hold the helmet on, ... or was it the case of "Hollywood" depicting the helmets to be worn in this fashion ?

Regards

Gary J.

[Brian Dentino]

According to a few vets I have asked about this very thing they all said that they DID NOT wear their chin strap fastened. I was told that this was because if it was fastened, the concussion from a near by explosion would have jerked their heads back with such force that it would cause more injury than allowing the helmet to come off. During combat they said that men learned that the helmet was nothing more than a protection from the smaller items and the risk of injury from concussion was greater than all else as far as their helmets were concerned. So I suppose that Hollywood has this fact right as far as WWII was concerned.

[101combatvet]

According to a few vets I have asked about this very thing they all said that they DID NOT wear their chin strap fastened. I was told that this was because if it was fastened, the concussion from a near by explosion would have jerked their heads back with such force that it would cause more injury than allowing the helmet to come off. During combat they said that men learned that the helmet was nothing more than a protection from the smaller items and the risk of injury from concussion was greater than all else as far as their helmets were concerned. So I suppose that Hollywood has this fact right as far as WWII was concerned.

This is barracks bull****.... just as drinking from a one quart canteen during a 20 mile force march would cause the body to acclimate to dehydration. If you are in an area were the concussion from an explosion is so great the a chin strap on your helmet would rip your head off.... you would die from that concussion.... don't believe me .... well, then try it sometime.

[MAS36]

the practice of wearing the chinstrap wrapped around the rear of the helmet was also very common in Vietnam, in all the photos of soldiers in VN the chin strap is always wrapped around the rear of their helmet or left dangling / not connected

they adopted the ball & clevis release in 1944 , it was designed to release if an explosion caused your helmet to get blown back, reducing the chance of neck unjury

[Gary Jucha]

Thanks

Thanks for the replies

... Having owned a couple of "M1's", ... the helmet always felt to be very loose on the head, and I could never figure out how you would see soldiers diving for cover etc ... with no helmet strap in place to secure.
.. To me, the strap would really need to be in place to stop the soldier loosing the helmet off his head ... even with the slightest movement ...

Any further comments appreciated ..

Cheers

Gary J.

[cbuehler]

In the actual battlefield American soldiers were indeed taught not to fasten the chin straps, although photos do show them fastened on occaision. In the ETO they usually fastened them up in back of the helmet, but Marines in the Pacific did not do this. Photos almost invariably show them just hanging loose if not in use.

CB

[101combatvet]

the practice of wearing the chinstrap wrapped around the rear of the helmet was also very common in Vietnam, in all the photos of soldiers in VN the chin strap is always wrapped around the rear of their helmet or left dangling / not connected

they adopted the ball & clevis release in 1944 , it was designed to release if an explosion caused your helmet to get blown back, reducing the chance of neck unjury

LOL.... I'm sure the designer was never near an explosion... you should send this one into myth busters. Tests and actual usage during combat has shown that a proper and secure fitting helmet is the best protection.

[Jean-Loup]

"This is barracks bull****.... just as drinking from a one quart canteen during a 20 mile force march would cause the body to acclimate to dehydration. If you are in an area were the concussion from an explosion is so great the a chin strap on your helmet would rip your head off.... you would die from that concussion.... don't believe me .... well, then try it sometime. "
"LOL.... I'm sure the designer was never near an explosion... you should send this one into myth busters. Tests and actual usage during combat has shown that a proper and secure fitting helmet is the best protection. "

No, it is not barracks BS, as is prooved by the fact that a second model of chinstrap was specificaly designed to reduce this risk of neck wounds caused by concussions.
Secondly, the pratise of not wearing the chinstrap was a leson learned from real combat, and very real explosions, in the days when there were many many more casualties and explosions then in todays wars... The tests and combat usage specific to the M1 helmet showed that it was best not to wear the chinstrap. The helmets nowadays are much more resistant, so its a different story.
Finaly, I have heard of concussions knoking helmets off peoples heads before, without the person even being wounded.

JL

[Paul McKee]

LOL.... I'm sure the designer was never near an explosion... you should send this one into myth busters. Tests and actual usage during combat has shown that a proper and secure fitting helmet is the best protection.

You may well be correct that this is only a myth...but regardless whether or not they were misinformed, primary resources indicate that:

FACT: The designers were very concerned about this effect and
FACT: WW2 vets also were concerned enough not to fasten chinstraps

This time Hollywood's depiction is correct...for a change. I think that is what the initial question was.

Perhaps the weight and design of a modern Kevlar helmet makes it safer to secure than an M1...certainly more safe than a wide-flanged M1917. Either way, I consider myself lucky enough not to have tested the theory.

Paul

[101combatvet]

No, it is not barracks BS, as is prooved by the fact that a second model of chinstrap was specificaly designed to reduce this risk of neck wounds caused by concussions.
Secondly, the pratise of not wearing the chinstrap was a leson learned from real combat, and very real explosions, in the days when there were many many more casualties and explosions then in todays wars... The tests and combat usage specific to the M1 helmet showed that it was best not to wear the chinstrap. The helmets nowadays are much more resistant, so its a different story.
Finaly, I have heard of concussions knoking helmets off peoples heads before, without the person even being wounded.

JL

LOL, you can run your own tests and do your own math but I think I'll stick with the test results from the Army Laboratory.

[Gary Jucha]

Heard too

JL,
Two Para's at Arnhem had their heads above a slit trench when a shell exploded nearby, ... both were decapitated by the concussion/shock wave .... I believe that no direct wounds were found.

Regards

Gary J.


"Finaly, I have heard of concussions knoking helmets off peoples heads before, without the person even being wounded."

JL[/quote]

[Gary Jucha]

Heard too

Double post !

[blinky]

LOL, you can run your own tests and do your own math but I think I'll stick with the test results from the Army Laboratory.

They did, that's why they came up with the T-1 connector.

eric

[101combatvet]

They did, that's why they came up with the T-1 connector.

eric

Do you have the data on how much presure it would take to snap the T-1 connector?

[blinky]

Yes, 15 pounds.