Richard M. Nixon
Well, yeah, that, and throwing over Nationalist China in favor of cheap consumer goods made by slave-labor
You see, Nationalist China and the United States were boyfriend/girlfriend from the end of the Second World War until the early 1970s...That's when Richard Nixon (boyfriend) got a look at the passing ass of Red China (slutty new girl in town) and dumped Nationalist China (sad girlfriend).
Until then, the United States recognized Nationalist China as the "legitimate" China...despite the twenty quadrillion Chinese on the mainland.
Here's a graphic to help put things into perspective:
Finally, Nixon saw the benefits of free-trade with the Red menace and changed partners. and danced..and presto! we can buy unlimited cheap crap at the local Walmart. See how that works?
During the happy years when the US and Nationalist China were still going steady lots of American surplus military hardware started flowing into Taiwan -
the roster of cool hardware included:
surplus tanks,
really nice destroyers,
and cool retro jets.This hardware also Included the always fashionable and effective U.S. M1 helmet. What better way to signify a link of common democratic values than to eqip your allies with the steelpot of the American G.I.?
Well, as it turns out, Taiwan (nee Nationalist China...she kept her name after the divorce) is doing nicely, thank you very much. Though it takes some backbone, and perhaps some denial, to flaunt its independence in the face of the Red Chinese...who are becoming increasingly intolerant of the situation.
Anyhoo, finding its footing as a nation, Taiwan has been manufacturing it's own helmets for quite some time. That brings us to the feature of this post, the Taiwanese-manufactured M1
In front-line use from 2000 to 2019, The Taiwanese M1 is one of the last production steel combat helmets.
Now for the walk around:
Fans of the US M1 can appreciate the form as well as quickly spot the differences.
The Naval insignia painted on the front is quite attractive.
There are three external screw/rivets which secure the suspension.
The chinstrap is identical to the final generation US M1.
The chinstrap clips to the flexible bales, making it very easy to replace.
The suspension includes a rubbery plastic which provides good separation between the shell and the head of the wearer. It's flexibility provides good resilience to blows.
The adjustment point is in the rear and provides a generous range of sizing.
Dozens of these spongy cups provide cushion between the shell and the head of the wearer.
The plastic sweatband is surprisingly cheaply-made, in this otherwise well-crafted and intelligently engineered suspension.
Here are plenty of action shots of Taiwanese sailors sporting this handsome and well-made helmet.
This lid is a much welcomed addition to the wall o' helmets.
See you next time with another cool helmet from the collection.
Mannie