Yesterday I found an M-3 Flak Helmet to add to my collection of WWII flight gear. These helmets were worn over the flight helmets and had earflaps to cover the earphones. A helmet similar to this one saved the life of my friend Lyle Shafer on a mission in 1944. Flying as co-pilot on the 390th BG B-17 'Gung Ho', he leaned over in his seat to grab his flak helmet just as a shell burst through his side window, killing the pilot.
Here are the specs on the M-3:
"Helmet, steel, T2 (Flyer’s), standardized as Helmet, M3.—This was a direct modification of the M1 steel helmet shell with an associated adjustable head suspension and cutaway on each side of the helmet body to accommodate earphones. A hinged earplate provided protection over the cutaway earphone area. Because of the immediate need for a flyer’s helmet, the T2 received extended service tests and was eventually standardized in December 1943 as Helmet, M3 (fig. 316). This helmet weighed 3 pounds and 3 ounces. Between December 1943 and April 1945, 213,543 helmets of this type were produced. During its development, it was recognized that this type of helmet was unsuitable for a number of confined combat stations where a closely fitting skullcap type of helmet was necessary."
---Source: CHAPTER XI: Personnel Protective Armor
Maj. James C. Beyer, MC, William F. Enos, M.D.,and Col. Robert H. Holmes, MC
Maj. James C. Beyer, MC, William F. Enos, M.D.,and Col. Robert H. Holmes, MC
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