Republic of China (Taiwan) M1 combat helmet

“I had never expected that the China initiative would come to fruition in the form of a Ping-Pong team.”
Richard M. Nixon



Well, yeah, that, and throwing over Nationalist China in favor of cheap crap to stock Wal-Marts with.



The helmet is a straightforward copy of the good old US M1. The backstory, however, is a sordid saga of the United States unwisely propping up the wrong side - to the hilt - and then turning its back on that marionette of a partner, no, I'm not talking about Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, or Panama, or...gosh, we seem to have a long history of that sort of thing...No I'm talking about Taiwan...You know...the GOOD China!







Here's a graphic to help put things into perspective:


The good China is on the island of Formosa, known as Taiwan, or ,until recently "Nationalist China". It was established shortly after World War two by this guy:Warlord Chiang Kai Check, a brutal anti-commie, anti-Japanese, bully who fled with his makeshift Nationalist "government" to the island where he enjoyed the fawning support of the free world and was held up as a shining example of courage against the Reds and their "Bamboo Curtain".


Lots of American surplus military hardware started flowing into Taiwan -
the full roster of cool hardware:

surplus tanks,







really nice destroyers,







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 barefoot soldiers with the steelpot of the American G.I.?

Eventually manufactured in South Korea, (our other "bastion against Communism" buddy over there), this M1 clone varied little from the venerable U.S. M1

From the front this clone has the typical "Willie and Joe" look of the M1. Subtle Differences become apparent under closer scrutiny (we'll get there).






The top view also presents no surprises, the ovoid shape is distinctly M1.






Our first glimpse of non US manufacture comes with the liner. Neither fiber nor composite, this liner is some sort of heavy vinyl or perhaps ABS through and through. The suspension and rigging configuration is straight out of the final generation US M1 of the 1980s.






The non-reflective surface treatment relies on silica sand in the olive paint. You can do your nails with this pot!






Tricked out in its Nationalist Chinese livery the liner profile is again,
distinctly M1 of the 1980s.






Both the shell and the liner are completely without any dates, numbers, or makers marks. Only one label, left tantalizingly blank, appears underneath the suspension webbing.

And now, for the gory details:






The swivel bail as well as the chinstrap and chinstrap fastener begin to reveal the cheapness and lack of finish of this helmet compared to the US version. Metals are lighter, spot welds are cruder, placement is somewhat slipshod, and there are lots of rough or sharp edges on the metal. The chinstrap webbing is also very light and cheap feeling.






In close-up the rear rim joint reveals the lack of polish to this helmet. from the heavy handed spot welding to the misaligned and often wavy rim component, this helmet would not have passed muster for service with US forces.






Similarly, the chinstrap fastening hardware, although, identical in appeareance to the US version is rough, cheap, and poorly finished (remarks often directed toward me by an ex in-law).





Hats off! to a fine effort to bring a little G.I. to the forces of non-communist, non-mainland, and (possibly) non-viable Nationalist China.


Needless to say that as time, fashion, and politics have passed and matured,the United States no longer seems to remember knowing Taiwan, let alone going to the prom with her, and now the US seeks a much more sensible and lucrative (for China) relationship with mainland China, that is, the Peoples Republic, formerly known as "the bad guys".
 

Now, as far as American foreign policy is concerned, this is how we'd prefer to think of the country formerly known as Nationalist China, its "happy hour" a thing of the past:







Part of me feels hopeful that one day America will again turn her favor toward the best little buddy it ever had, that island beacon of ...well certainly not democracy...but certainly anti communism, the tiny giant -

Taiwan.





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


Mannie

United States m.1917 (British Manufacture) combat helmet

The "tin lid"

The m.1917 is the American version of the British mk.I "Brodie" helmet.  700,000 British Brodies were supplied to the American forces before production began in the United States.  This is one of those British-made American helmets utilized by

the "doughboy" of the Great War.

The dishpan-like Brodie served various nations well into the 1970s.

An identifying characteristic of this British-manufactured m.1917 is the lapped rim strip.

The American manufactured version of the Brodie

can be identified by the rim affixed with a butt joint.

The British-manufactured M1917 attaches the chinstrap bail with a split-pin...

the American-made helmet has a rivet attaching the bail.

The helmet on the left has the original factory finish of sawdust, and that on the right is a depot refurbished finish of coarse sand.  Both are American helmets.

 The chinstrap is adjusted with a robust iron buckle.



 The single copper rivet, which passes through the crown of the shell, is the only attachment point for the entire liner and chinstrap.  If the leather strap breaks, the helmet becomes worthless to the wearer.  This is not a particularly thoughtful piece of

engineering, in my opinion.

Here the top strap passes through the chinstrap bail and attaches,
by a separate connector, to the chinstrap. 



 A name is penciled on the chinstrap.

 The suspension of the Brodie-type helmet is not particularly elegant, in fact it is quite complicated and not as effective as later helmets.  The headband has uniform slits of which the alternate pairs secure an inch-long piece of tubular rubber, providing some spacing and perhaps shock absorption between the helmet shell and the head of the wearer.

This complex web of netting has a drawstring to tighten or loosen it to adjust the fit.  This seems to me to be an overly elaborate system.

The m.1917 design would soldier on well into the opening days of America's entry into the Second World War, though with a much improved liner and suspension, which I profiled in and earlier post which can be viewed here.

The manufacture's mark in the liner is legible enough to see that it was made in Brooklyn NY.

And now: a graphic salute to the American doughboy.

"The Machine Gunner" by Harvey Dunn

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

Mannie

United States 3rd Armored Division helmet liner

This is the tenth, and last, in a series of tanker helmet posts

Well now, after all of those tanker lids, isn't this a refreshing treat?

Here's a very nice way to segue out of tanker helmets and back into the rest of the combat helmet world; a very showy 3rd Armored Division "parade liner".

I'm guessing that this is from the 1950s, the Elvis era, early Cold War, that is.

Lieutenant Kelley, If you're out there:

a. welcome to the future

b. what can you tell us about yourself and your helmet liner? 

Nice Third Armored Division decal.  Note the faux chinstraps achieved with, as near as I can tell, masking tape.  This is the second such M1 liner in white livery that I've seen with tape representations of straps.  I guess if everyone is doing it at the same time for the same event it can look pretty cool.  And back when I was a G.I. a very high premium was placed upon looking "cool", that is to say; non-regulation in a very calculated (and often expensive) manner.

Little is left of the decal on the other side.

Top veiw demonstrates that this liner has been knocking around for some years.  Bet its been used to play "army" in the backyard more than once.  While still actively soldiering these tricked-out parade helmets are very, very perfect in all of their snow white glory.  This one's been around the block a few times since it went back to civilian life.  Now there's a familiar story.

The back is unremarkable save for the "bubbling" of the tape.



The webbing is that darker green shade of the Korean war era.  Note the studs for the leather chinstrap, also the front insignia grommet appears in the very first view.

And there's the familiar CAPAC cross.   Chris Armold notes in his "Steel Pots" that CAPAC dated their liners in the crown, leaving me wondering if that's the "53" the "51", or the "52"

"Spearhead"  The Third Armored Division has a remarkable history which you can begin to explore by going here.

The Division  also set the standard for "cool" in the U.S. armed forces by its choice of personnel:

That's alright mama, its the King.

And here's a Youtube of Elvis as a G.I.


Rock on!


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


Mannie