Company:M-1952 Flak Jacket
Template:Infobox military gear
M-1952 Flak Jacket was a 20th century American flak jacket. It was used during the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Background
The M-1952 Flak vest, or "Armor, Body, Fragmentation, Protective, Vest Type, M-52" was a flak vest designed for the United States Marine Corps during the Korean war. Following the joint US Army and Marine Corps designed M51 Flak Jacket, the M-52 used aluminum plates instead of Doron.[1][2]
Description
The M-1952A Body Armor was an 8.5 pound vest made up of twelve layers of flexible laminated nylon[3] and featured epaulets, a zip front closure and adjustable elastic draw cords on each side. It also had cargo pockets with the left one having a pen compartment.[4]
Combat use
The Marine Corps first used the M-1952 during the Korean War. However, it only reached frontline troops during late 1952, and only in relatively small quantities.[3] They would continue to use it throughout the 1958 Lebanon Crisis and during the early stages of the Vietnam War.[5] The U.S. Navy also used them quite heavily during the conflict, including their Mobile Riverine Force. The M-1952 would be phased out of use by the M1-955 during the Vietnam Conflict,[6] however, examples of use by the Marine Corps would be seen into the 1980s during training.[7]
References
- ↑ "U.S. Military Body Armor Korean War". 2021-01-27. https://www.olive-drab.com/od_soldiers_gear_body_armor_korea.php.
- ↑ "Lightweight Body Armor, Doron 1953". https://qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/korea/lightweight_body_armor.htm.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Department, U. S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) History. ""This Vest May Save Your Life!"" (in en-us). https://arsof-history.org/articles/19oct_body_armor_page_1.html.
- ↑ "M1952A Flak Vest". http://www.vietnamgear.com/kit.aspx?kit=21.
- ↑ PHOTO, DEFENSE DEPT (1967-03-19), English: Company C, 1/9 Marines advance through elephant grass during Operation Prairie III, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A188524.jpg, retrieved 2022-12-19
- ↑ "U.S. Military Body Armor Vietnam". 2021-09-28. https://olive-drab.com/od_soldiers_gear_body_armor_vietnam.php.
- ↑ USMC (1980), English: A close view of a combat-ready Marine officer candidate as he checks the backpack of another candidate. Both of them are wearing camouflage paint on their faces. The Marines are students of The Basic School for Marine Officers Combat Training., https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A-close-view-of-a-combat-ready-marine-officer-candidate-as-he-checks-the-backpack-a9513d.jpg, retrieved 2022-12-19
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