Grenada: M1 and PASGT in battle together

Hail, and farewell

M1 on the left, PASGT a.k.a. "fritz" a.k.a. "kevlar",on the right.

 Here's a photograph I searched for for a very long time; it depicts a group of American soldiers during the combat action on Grenada in 1983  What is noteworthy is that the soldiers an the left are wearing the venerable M1 helmet, and the soldiers on the right are wearing the new PASGT kevlar helmet. This photo records the moment in time when one helmet was leaving service and the other was entering.  This was in interesting time of transition away from the memory of Vietnam...new helmet, new war, new army.

[US Marines in Grenada wearing the M1 with the Vietnam-era Mitchell camouflage cover.]

[Soldiers on Grenada wearing Vietnam-era jungle boots.  I find something compelling and somewhat poignant about seeing these vestages of Vietnam in evidence.  Unlike the men and women who served in Vietnam, the Grenada veterans were warmly welcomed home.]

[GIs sporting M1s with the Woodland (or perhaps ERDL) cover, I can't keep them straight.]

[The swan-song of the venerable M1...what a fitting exit.]

Enter the PASGT ("pas-get") which stands for "personal armor system, ground troops."  The introduction of this new helmet was literally a "baptism of fire" as Grenada was its debut

The nickname, "fritz" helmet, came from the shape of it - similar to the German helmets of the World Wars.

And now, a first-hand account:

Part of the liberating force, was my friend Jim Rosebrock, who experienced combat on the island of Grenada during Operation Urgent Fury way back in 1983.

Here is an interview that I did with Colonel Rosebrock, wherein he talks about his experiences with both helmets; the M1 and the "fritz":

-----

Jim, tell me a little bit about your career.

I was appointed  a second lieutenant in 1976 from the ROTC program at Niagara University.  I was a

quartermaster officer.  My first tour of duty was at Ft Lewis Washington from 1976 to 1979.  A three-year tour in West Germanyn followed.  After returning to the States in 1982 for more training, I was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg from 1982 until 1985 when I left active duty as a captain.  I entered the Army Reserves for the next 19 years and retired as a lieutenant colonel.

In what capacity did you serve during Operation Urgent Fury? Did you Jump?

I was on the division headquarters staff as the G4 logistics officer.  I went to Grenada with the Division HQ assault command post.  I was a captain at the time.  We departed Fort Bragg with our parachutes strapped on.

In the air, we were told we could take the 'chutes off because the airfield was secured.  After we had done so, they told us to put them back on. It was tough putting them back on in an aircraft that was bumping around on the thermals.  After we got them back on, we were told that the rangers had secured the airfield and we could take them back off.  We looked at each other and decided to leave them on.  When we landed, everyone dumped their 'chutes on the side of the runway.  We landed at 3:30 p.m. on October 25, 1983 (my 29th birthday).

You wore bothe the M1 as well as the new PASGT helmets during your career; how do you compare one to the other in comfort, versatility, practicality, and protection?  Which helmet did your prefer?

 Yes, I wore both.  I much preferred the PASGT (kevlar).  It was much more comfortable and though I never had to test it, I felt it provided much more protection...it looked cooler too.  There was some negative press at the time comparing its look to WWII German helmets.

Yes I wore both.  I much preferred the PAGST (Kevlar).  It was much more 

comfortable and though I never had to test it, felt it provided much more 

protection.  It looked cooler too.  There was some negative press at the time 

comparing its look to WW2 German helmets. 

 

On Grenada, generally speaking, which types units were still wearing the M1 and which 

were wearing the new PASGT?  

The 82^nd Airborne had the PASGT.  I believe that everyone 

else that I saw outside the division still had the old M1. 

 

What was your experience with surrendering Cuban soldiers?  Did you see any of them 

wearing the East German-style helmet?  

There were two types of “enemy” troops.  

Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) were native Grenada troops and Cuban troops.

[PLA prisoners]

I saw the East German style helmets at a supply dump that we captured at 

Frequentes. 

[Cuban POWs wearing East German helmets]

 By the time I saw Cubans and PLA troops, they were already POWs.  

Some were still wearing that helmet.   

 

What was the response of the troops to the new helmet? Was there any skepticism?  

The guys in the 82^nd liked the new helmets. 

Unlike the M1 where you could take the helmet 

liner out and use the steel pot for washing or carrying water, you couldn't do that 

with the Kevlar.   The Kevlar was still pretty novel and so it was popular.  It felt 

more “solid” to me 

 

What was your total period of deployment on Grenada?  

The U.S. was at Grenada for 

quite awhile but the 82^nd was there for about two weeks.  We pulled out by the 

middle of November 1983.  Unlike Viet Nam veterans, were were warmly 

welcomed when we arrived back at Fort Bragg.  It was pretty touching.   

 

Were you able to bring your helmet home?  

I turned my helmet in when I left the Army.  I later bought one at an Army surplus store. 

 

Do you have any final thoughts on the helmets or on your experience that you'd like to 

share? 

I really felt the Kevlar was a good helmet.  I was glad when I arrived at Fort 

Bragg from my previous assignment in Germany and got the Kevlar.  The chin 

strap was better designd and the helmet stayed on your head.  The M1 had a 

tendency to come loose and fall off.  

 

With regard to my experience, at Grenada, 

when Americans who were killed were being evacuated back to the States, the 

Army did not have the right kind of specialists along to properly care for them.  

My colonel gave me that sad job and I took care of these men and sent them on 

their final journey home.  That was the one thing that I really felt proud to be able 

to do for these forgotten men of Operation Urgent Fury. 

-----

The helmet that Col Rosebrock wore was the PASGT airborne version, with the chinstrap retention straps and rubber cushion at the nape.  I'll profile this cool helmet at a later date.

All these years later, Jim is still in uniform, as part of the all-volunteer artillery detachment at Antietam National Battlefield.

See you next time with another cool helmet from the collection.

Mannie

M1917A1 and its kid-brother

Here's a significant photo from the Battle of Midway.  It pictures sailors aboard the USS Hornet in June 1942.  It shows the M1917A1 and M1 helmets in use simultaneously. 

One wonders how long it took before the last of the old-timers was cycled out of the fleet.

A cool helmet video

 Here's some wartime production footage of the McCord Radiator company producing M1 helmets and liners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=PDaGE0Y2BuQ&fbclid=IwAR1Iwa0tzei3dvkmIhN3U0f0weKVaaMoXfHFt2AeNSKbdODVCQYolObsELE

United States M1 interwar combat helmet

I returned to work  following a two-week bout with covid, and was be greeted by a coworker with a welcome-back gift -  this handsome M1 which belonged to his childhood neighbor.

With a few notable exceptions (Lebannon and the earliest glimmers of Vietnam) the army of the mid to late-1950s was often called a "peacetime army".  The hot war of Korea was a memory and Vietnam lay ahead.  The public consciousness of the US Army was provided, in a large part, by popular entertainment.  Elvis was being utilized as the poster-boy of the Army,  Phil Silvers captured audiences as Sargeant Bilko, and even Barney Fife was seen wearing an M1 liner.

Barney Fife

Elvis

Sergeant Bilko

From 1951 to 1958 many changes and modifications to the venerable M1 took place.  in 1951 production was resumed on the helmet shell as well as modifications to the liner.  Certainly much, if not most of the helmets of that period were from WWII, including much mixing and matching of older liners with newer helmets, and older helmets with newer liners.  It was a period of great transition that even saw the retirement of the venerable M1 Garand rifle.

This new generation of headgear was seen on maneuvers, and at places like Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin and the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas.

Let's take a walk-around.

All familiar ground here, but our closer look will reveal several upgrades and improvements

As with its WWII progenitor, the shell was made of Hadefield steel and it still retained the leather chinstrap for the liner.

The rear-seam of the post WWII shell is visible here; do note though, that some numbers of rear-seams did see service during the war.

A big improvement was the T1 chinstrap.  Unlike the sewn-on straps of the WWII version, the T1 could be easily replaced in the field.

Here's a mix of old and new.  The lighter #3 Olive drab suspension indicates that the liner is from WWII while the darker #7 green headband and neckband indicate that this liner was modified in the 1950s.

The neckband is dated 1956.

The headband is dated 1958 (lower right).

Here's a nice contrast between the color as well as the weave of the suspension components.

The distinctive double herring-bone weave of the #3 OD webbing from WWII.

The hardware of the T1 chinstrap affixed to the swivel-bail.

The spring-clips that retain the headband are unchanged from WWII.  It is interesting to note that this design of clip was used in the helmets of many other countries throughout the post-war era and even into the 21st century.

The helmet belonged to Irving Eisenstadt of Astoria, Queens (New York), and it appears that he began printing his name on the suspension...one can only imagine what had interrupted his efforts in this direction.

Generally, during WWII, the hardware on the helmet and liner was brass finished in green.  Following the war the fittings were finished in black. United Carr Company of Cambridge MA produced the hollow rivet on the liner chinstrap.  

The WWII iteration of the M1 was textured with cork; beginning in 1951 the M1 was produced with fine sand as the non-reflective texture.

The cam buckle, green in WWII, is blackened brass after 1951 production began.

The garter-clip fastening system is the same as the WWII version.

The chinstrap fastener is a ball-and-clevis quick-release. designed both for ease of use as well as protection from concussion-injuries caused by nearby explosions.  With this improvement, it was hoped that GIs would be more likely to use the chinstrap...based upon period photos, they seldom did. 

The little anchor is a manufacture's-mark - North and Judd of New Britain CT.  Often collectors misinterpret this mark as indication of naval service.

The hook end of the chinstrap.

Here are the two side fastened, with the ball inserted into the spring clevis.

Now, let us look at the liner.

The darker green is typical of a refurbished liner from WWII.

Firestone was the manufacture of this particular liner.

The insignia grommet would disappear in the 1964 iteration of the liner.

Something appears to have been painted beneath the current coat of paint.

This handsome helmet, with further modifications, soldiered on well into the 1980s...truly a classic which symbolized the American GI for two generations.

Much of the information in this post comes from Mark Reynosa's superb book on post-war M1 helmets.  Any mistakes or misinformation is the fault of myself and not Mark.  Mark Reynosa is, in my estimation, the gold standard for helmet research books.  He uses (and cites) copious amounts of primary source materials, he makes no unsubstantiated claims and keeps his opinions  to a minimum.  In all of his books  on the M1 he provides sources, citations, and bibliography.  Other authors would do well to follow his example.  I cannot recommend Mark's books highly enough. 

See you next time with another cool helmet from the collection.

Mannie