I was watching an upteenth re run of Combat this afternoon and I suddenly noticed that Vic Morrow’s helmet has a canvas marine camouflage which is ok but in ETO?
I had the same question and was informed the prop people on “Combat” got it right after all. There was a variation of cloth helmet cover used by the Army in the ETO.
SGT Saunders isn’t wearing a Marine camo-cover… GIs in the ETO (and MTO as well) used pieces of the camoflaged cargo parachutes that were all over the place after supply drops, as well as the 'chutes used by US paratroopers during Overlord and Market-Garden…
1st ID troops
82nd AB
2nd Ranger Bn
90th ID (Note some under the nets)
Here’s the USMC version. Note that it’s “beach camo” pattern is decidedly “browner” than the 'chute material…
I noticed that too. Wonder if the helmet cover pattern is the same as the camo uniform pattern which the army tried out after D-Day? I know some GI’s wore a camo battledress uniform but the army abandoned it as being much too close to the SS camo pattern. Caused some friendly fire incidents in the hedgerows. Trivia for “Combat” fans…does anyone know how Lt. Hanley ended up with an M1 carbine and Sgt Saunders got the Thompson? I found the answer some time ago and wonder how many others might know…RickM
This’s the US Army’s one-piece “Zoot Suit” camouflage uniform.
Like I said earlier, the helmet covers were scraps cut from camo parachutes. There were no purpose-made camo helmet covers for the US Army’s camouflage uniform in WW2, just the nets… The USMC covers were cut in the pattern that anyone who served in the Army or Marine Corps prior to the K-pot remebers…
Note that both the Army and USMC camo colors are more on the “brown” side than the green parachute material pictured earlier…
As for your question on the Thompson vs. the Carbine? Rick Jason basically said he wasn’t gonna tote that howitzer of a Thompson around the set all day… So Morrow got the Thompson, Jason the carbine… Can’t say as I blame him, LOL… The Thompson is a heavy hunk of lumber & steel…
Also remember Marine camo had two sides, green and brown. Brown was designated for ops on atolls, sand and coral etc. Green for more temperate climes, Okinawa, Saipan and the like.
Hence the ditty “green side out, brown side out, run in circles, scream and shout”
Only in the Corps…uhhh rahhhhh!