Have you ever noticed how seldom you see WWII GIs with their helmet chinstraps fastened.
There's a reason for that. Apparently, the concussion from a nearby explosion could cause the helmet to become a hazard if the chinstrap was fastened, as the strap could cause the neck to be injured as the helmet was jerked back by the blast. For a long time I thought that this was merely collector folklore, until I encountered these original documents.
Here's another
Collectors should spend more time finding and paying attention to primary sources. The hobby is fraught with collector folklore, and as time goes by, and opinions get repeated, people assume that they are facts. That's why it was so exciting and gratifying to find these two documents.
See you next time with another cool helmet from the collection.
Mannie
