USA Helmet Insignia

[KeyanSark]

Hi all:

A quick question... I've seen that in WW2 it was common to have some marking in the NCOs helmets... I remember having seen a vertical stripe, two vertical stripes and a star... Can anyone tell me what rankings did those markings represent?

Thanks!

[Boggler]

I think that a star is a major, one stripe is a captain and two a lieutenant?

[revford]

I think it matches the Rank Insignia, so one bar is a Lieutenant, two bars a Captain and Oak Leaf a Major.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Army_officer_rank_insignia

[Boggler]

I didn't think I had that the right way round!

[pixelgeek]

IIRC bars were on the back of helmets

[revford]

IIRC bars were on the back of helmets

Yes, I think it's so the men can see who to follow and snipers can't pick out the Officer quite so easily.

[Boggler]

Presumably to stop snipers from having easy targets an/or to encourage a 'follow the leader' approach to tactics?

[pixelgeek]

I can't recall who it was, but I remember watching a US reporter recount his experience during WWII when he lost his helmet, grabbed a replacement and then wondered why he had a team of soldiers following him across the field.

He had grabbed the LTs helmet by accident.

[poulppy]

For infantry helmet  for the DDay (and after for some units)
on the top of the helmet : the grade
On the rear : Vertical strip is for the officer, Horizontal for under officer.

on the top you can have Unit badge.
I got one with a division badge on the top and strip on the back.

tjis kind of marks for officer was stoped because the sniper shots on officer.

The Airborne marking is the same but with compagny and divisional marking.