# Why were US troops so reluctant to fasten the chinstraps on their helmets in WWII? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 4, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802 "2014-03-04T03:24:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/1 "2014-03-04T03:24:39Z")
It’s a signature look, other countries seemed the get their troops to buckle up. What’s the story with that? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/2 "2014-03-04T03:41:49Z")
If you’ll accept a [wiki reference](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_helmet): > [@](#): > > This practice arose for two reasons: First, because hand-to-hand combat was anticipated, and an enemy could be expected to attack from behind, reach over the helmet, grab its visor, and pull. If the chinstrap were worn, the head would be snapped back, causing the victim to lose balance, and leave the throat and stomach exposed to a knife thrust. Secondly, many men incorrectly believed that a nearby exploding bomb or artillery shell could cause the chinstrap to snap their neck when the helmet was caught in its concussive force, although a replacement buckle, the T-1 pressure-release buckle, was manufactured that allowed the chinstrap to release automatically should this occur. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/3 "2014-03-04T04:06:51Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/4 "2014-03-04T04:20:28Z")
Missed the Edit. All of those reasons could be applied to _any_ helmet with a chinstrap. Why were the Americans unique? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/5 "2014-03-04T05:24:08Z")
Fashion. I’m serious - fashion trends have the same way over the military as they have over any other group of twenty-somethings. Troops didn’t buckle their helmets because all the cool kids didn’t buckle their helmets. ---
**Author:** ![kaltkalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bb73d2/32.png) [@kaltkalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaltkalt)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/6 "2014-03-04T05:53:19Z")
I always assumed it was fashion. It’s like having your shirt tail out. Like having your pants down low. Like wearing your cap backwards. It’s what all the keew hipsters do. Only nerds buckle their helmet straps, jeeez. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/7 "2014-03-04T06:04:07Z")
it chafed. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/8 "2014-03-04T11:06:07Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > If you’ll accept a [wiki reference](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_helmet): The second reason strikes me as really dumb. OK, so the helmet won’t tug your neck when caught in an artillery blast - it’ll just fly off instead. Now you’re helmet-less in a rain of burning metal, genius. That helmet wa’n’t yewrs to lewse ! Belonged to EVERY Marine ! ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/9 "2014-03-04T11:34:36Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > it chafed. I am genuinely surprised that this wasn’t the first, second and third answers. It was probably annoying and chaffed their necks, I know that would be my reason for leaving it open. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/10 "2014-03-04T12:13:05Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > If you’ll accept a [wiki reference](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_helmet): > > > [@](#): > > > > First, because hand-to-hand combat was anticipated, and an enemy could be expected to attack from behind, reach over the helmet, grab its visor, and pull. If the chinstrap were worn, the head would be snapped back, causing the victim to lose balance, and leave the throat and stomach exposed to a knife thrust. The prospect that Otto Skorzeny is behind you seems rather less likely than crap is going to fall randomly from the sky. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/11 "2014-03-04T12:28:21Z")
Drill Sergeant: _"Hey, who are you, John Wayne?? Buckle up that chinstrap and then drop and gimme twenty, prahvate!_" In all the movies the stars wore their helmets unstrapped, so the boys did likewise; plus the aforementioned myths about the dangers of having it strapped were probably spread all over the boot camps (because of course scuttlebutt from some grunt who has been in 3 weeks longer than you is more credible than what veteran trained instructors tell you). > [@bucketybuck](#): > > I am genuinely surprised that this wasn’t the first, second and third answers. > > It was probably annoying and chaffed their necks, I know that would be my reason for leaving it open. True, chinstraps up to WW2 were not very ergonomic. They were improved as experience accumulated. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/12 "2014-03-04T13:34:09Z")
Our helmets in the Navy in the 80s were pretty similar to WWII helmets as I recall. They may have been WWII helmets, I’m not sure what the expected life of a helmet was. The chin strap was really uncomfortable. Chafing is the perfect word for it, thanks **johnpost**. It was also sweaty wearing it for hours during general quarters. I imagine it would be worse in the field. I doubt the “Star” bit was really as big a reason as some think. It was an uncomfortable thing to have to wear. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/13 "2014-03-04T13:57:22Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Our helmets in the Navy in the 80s were pretty similar to WWII helmets as I recall. They may have been WWII helmets, I’m not sure what the expected life of a helmet was. The chin strap was really uncomfortable. Chafing is the perfect word for it, thanks **johnpost**. It was also sweaty wearing it for hours during general quarters. I imagine it would be worse in the field. > > I doubt the “Star” bit was really as big a reason as some think. It was an uncomfortable thing to have to wear. Were your chinstraps the kind that fasten under the chin? very uncomfortable. I served in the 80’s, regular army, and we used WWII surplus steel pots with [these](http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mT2w3EzFRJ4UtB1pKP1TtUw.jpg) chinstraps. Much better. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/14 "2014-03-04T14:00:27Z")
They’re hot? And make it hard to talk? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/15 "2014-03-04T14:14:46Z")
I served 1980-1993. USMC. Like BMax our helmets originally were old 2-piece helmets, steel pots over a plastic liner, and chin straps like shown in BMax’s link. Not sure if they were surplus from WWII or Vietnam, but they were old. Later, the one-piece kevlar helmets replaced them, at some point in the 1980s. I know many who didn’t like snapping the chin straps, myself included. Fashion had little or nothing to do with it. They didn’t chafe, because the fabric was pretty soft and pliable. It was more about comfort, and general laziness. Those were my reasons, anyway, and of those that I knew. I was artillery so we were in the field a lot. I never served in combat but I can assure you that the strap would’ve been snapped if I did. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/16 "2014-03-04T16:01:33Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Drill Sergeant: _"Hey, who are you, John Wayne?? Buckle up that chinstrap and then drop and gimme twenty, prahvate!_" God help you if you don’t have it snapped now. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/17 "2014-03-04T16:15:37Z")
[Looking at this Bill Mauldin cartoon](http://willieandjoe.tripod.com/1000_mile_detour.jpg) it looks like something Patton would have enforced. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/18 "2014-03-04T16:23:13Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > [Looking at this Bill Mauldin cartoon](http://willieandjoe.tripod.com/1000_mile_detour.jpg) it looks like something Patton would have enforced. Not seeing a picture, don’t know if its a problem on my end. Patton was the king of what was known then as chicken shit. Enforcing garrison rules in combat. Ties, clean uniforms, MPs giving out tickets for motor vehicle violations. Whenever there is a discussion about toxic leadership on one of the military pages I frequent someone always says something like “Too bad we don’t have leaders like Patton anymore.” I try to explain how he was ten times worse about the stupid shit we complain about now than anyone currently in uniform. It usually falls on deaf ears. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/19 "2014-03-04T19:10:09Z")
> [@BMax](#): > > Were your chinstraps the kind that fasten under the chin? very uncomfortable. > I served in the 80’s, regular army, and we used WWII surplus steel pots with [these](http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mT2w3EzFRJ4UtB1pKP1TtUw.jpg) chinstraps. Much better. Ours went under the chin, did not have the chinstraps shown in your pic. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802/20 "2014-03-04T19:47:16Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Not seeing a picture, don’t know if its a problem on my end. > > Patton was the king of what was known then as chicken shit. Enforcing garrison rules in combat. Ties, clean uniforms, MPs giving out tickets for motor vehicle violations. Whenever there is a discussion about toxic leadership on one of the military pages I frequent someone always says something like “Too bad we don’t have leaders like Patton anymore.” I try to explain how he was ten times worse about the stupid shit we complain about now than anyone currently in uniform. It usually falls on deaf ears. [Grooomiiiiiing staaaandards](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oF0XYRhRvA) ! The chicken shit lives, apparently (the series was based on a reporter’s book). Of course, in Sergeant-Major Sixta’s case it was deliberate : whenever the Marines’ morale dropped too low or they had actual reasons for concern & doubt in the chain of command, he’d do the rounds being a gigantic asshole to everybody so they’d focus their grumbling on him. Patton possibly had the same philosophy, although he \*was \*a nutjob so who knows ? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-us-troops-so-reluctant-to-fasten-the-chinstraps-on-their-helmets-in-wwii/682802.md?page=2)