Helmet Prevents Bad Hair Day
February 23, 1945
The (unconfirmed) information I managed to find concerning this photo states that the smiling US soldier was from the 104th Infantry Division and his name was Private E. J. Johnson, a native of Muskegon, Michigan. He is being carried to the rear by German POW’s under armed escort.
Original: US Army
Supposedly, on February 23, 1945, the first day of Operation Grenade (the crossing of the Roer river by the US 9th Army), Johnson was wounded when, after crossing the river, a German mortar round exploded close to him, riddling his shoulder and arm with shrapnel. His helmet also took at least one hit; the entering and exit holes clearly visible.
The reason why Private Johnson survived the mortar round without a serious head wound had of course much to do with sheer luck, but the advanced design of the US Army’s M1 Steel Helmet also had an important role in the outcome.
Unlike the German steel helmet or other Allied helmets, which had a (mostly) leather inner-liner designed mainly with comfort and proper fitting in mind, the American M1 had a liner in the shape of the steel outer shell, made, in early batches, of resin-impregnated cotton canvas, and from November 1942 onward, of plastic. This liner worked as a second protective layer that, depending on the angle of entry, was able to deflect projectiles and protect the skull from injury.
