US Army metal ranks for helmet liners??

[SirHarry1]

I have found a small quantity of these metal rank insignias, all screw back. Someone told me these were used on the old helmet liners to indicate rank, can anyone confirm this??
Thanks for your help!
Harry

[p-59a]

I don't think so. Who made these? I don't see the normal makers stamps on these. Anyway if you did screw this into a liner how would you get the helmet on?

[Steve B.]

These were indeed used on helmet liners. The liners only (no steel pot) were worn in garrison by cadre at training bases. The liners generally had glossy paint, sometimes with the unit DUIs or SSIs on the sides. These were not used in combat. These insignia, or ones very much like them, could also be worn on the cold weather pile cap. They can be found with a screwpost for use on the helmet liner, or two attaching pins or prongs for use on the pile cap and other headgear.

[p-59a]

The last time helmet liners were made with those holes was in the early 50's during the Korean war. They were discontinued after that so you have a 3 year time frame these could have been used as best as I can tell.

[Steve B.]

They were used at least until 1956 or later when the Specialist ranks came into being.

[SirHarry1]

Thanks to all of you for your comments, so my info was basically correct!

[p-59a]

I belong to other collector groups. I have searched and can find no links to anything like this. The only ones I have seen are on e-bay and two other sites that were selling these. All of them were new looking and unmarked like yours. The only one with any kind of mark I found was this one in the photo. So far I can find no period photograph of this being worn. Everything I see on a liner is painted or its a decal. I have never seen one of these before and would need more people to chime in with something more informative before I would ever buy one. It just seems to me others would have posted their collections of these long before and I just can't find any posts. Now I have seen liners with hole bored into them that were post Korean war issue and it could be the holes were bored for the device you have. I just have never seen the two together.

[uscob]

As I learned decades ago, these could be bought on self expense and weren't Army Issue, so no NSN Item but tolerated.

[SirHarry1]

Digging a bit deeper in the estate I am currently selling off, I found these pieces in original packages of Ira Green, and they look old to me...