Not policy , not offical , but just my personal plea .
When putting together your uniform , could you give priority to getting a helmet. I know a lot of people don't like playing in them , they can be heavy , hot , don't add to the airsoft experience in the way they would in real combat .....
but ....
if you look at virtually all the period piccies taken under fire, most soldiers of all nations would wear a helmet. From the German coal skuttle, the British Soup plate , or the American bowl , in combat most soldiers would want to be wearing them, if someone was shooting at them . It was often standing orders that soldiers would wear them in the combatzone . Patton ( bless him ) tried famously to enforce this with medics in field hospitals , so there is a precedent. Even Panzer crews carried Stahlhelms for wear outside the vehicle , and apart from Commandos (I stand to be corrected here) I reckon most Brits wore iron on their heads.
From an event POV , wearing one makes you instantly recognisable as friend or foe, and makes the whole thing look more realistic. Also as we are looking at doing at least 2 Urban events in old buildings, they have a practical use as well .
Just my thoughts, any comment appreciated.
Agreed, helmets are alot better, and when you get shot in them they sometimes give you a little SPR style shell shock, commando's would have worn helmets, but of course for covert missions, raids, night time patrols, cap comforters would be worn, or scrimmed berets as to reduce clunking, and scraping noises made by helmets and because it was more comfortable, I belive.
Have to agree with you there Guy.
This is 2nd only to the absolute rule that you must wear some sort of headgear at all times even if its not a helmet!
I think you'll find that some airborne chaps in the British army also didn't always wear their helmets and then there's the chaps in the far east... slouch hats, etc...
Have to agree with you there Guy.
This is 2nd only to the absolute rule that you must wear some sort of headgear at all times even if its not a helmet!
When outside......indoors, it comes off.
Oh, and if anyone wants to know why a helmet is a good idea in urban ask Oddball how he got on last time we were at UCAP! 
That depends what you're doing inside and what type of inside it is.
Id say 99% of the US players wear an M1 during a game. Because its what was worn and its iconic. Still to this day i never see a US combat soldier fighting without a helmet on.
There's the odd person that wears a jeep cap during games, but i've only seen a 3 or 4 people doing that, and its generally people that dont have a full loadout.
With brits and german's its a different story, id say its alot smaller. Now i dunno why that is. Was a helmet a compulsary piece of kit while in combat? but i see alot more brits and germans fighting in various caps and berets.
Its very rare for commandos to wear helmets and it's traditional for British Airborne to replace their helmets with their berets when going on the 'offensive'
More for an esprit de corp and elan thing than practicality but other than that I'd agree that they should be worn.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
i agree completely. you often see ww2 pics of soldiers without jackets or shirts but still wearing a helmet.
I agree that helmets are a key part of any impression. I guess people can be put off getting one by the weight and expense of some types. However they're probably the single most iconic piece of clothing you think of for any given nation so I feel should be high on anyones shopping list.
Perhaps the only exception is Soviet troops. I've heard that it could be regarded as cowardly to wear a helmet but I'm not sure how much truth there is in that. They certainly spent alot of time without a helmet as in winter a Ushanka would be standard headwear and fitting a helmet over one of those isn't very practical.
I agree that helmets are a key part of any impression. I guess people can be put off getting one by the weight and expense of some types. However they're probably the single most iconic piece of clothing you think of for any given nation so I feel should be high on anyones shopping list.
Perhaps the only exception is Soviet troops. I've heard that it could be regarded as cowardly to wear a helmet but I'm not sure how much truth there is in that. They certainly spent alot of time without a helmet as in winter a Ushanka would be standard headwear and fitting a helmet over one of those isn't very practical.
Nah i agree.
I've read several accounts that Soviet officers had a nightmare persuading their men to wear helmets as it was considered weak and effeminate.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
There is an 'iconic' element to consider as well. Though I will have a helmet in time for the next game (but not the right helmet for that game 
) the British Beret is pretty iconic, as is the German cap (M-something-43?). So it does feel right on the film-sim level, plus look at the photo's of the Brits at huskey, they look excellent with the berets.
The first helmet I was going to buy was for my American Infantryman, and wait getting the British helmet until PBI did the Halamshires somewhere - Then Ramsey appeared with an Para helmet so meh, that plan wen t to hell. Somehow having the yank gear without a helmet was not complete, to the way that having the Para gear with a beret or commando with the comforter, was.
Though that's enough introspection on what headwear means to me.
Its very rare for commandos to wear helmets
I've seen pictures of Commandos at Dieppe and the Lofoten Islands and they were almost all wearing helmets.
I have to agree that tin pots really finish off a look. I also think that an uncomfortable lid is usually more to do with a badly fitting liner. My kraut M42 is pretty heavy but fits like a glove and I can wear it all day long. My brit airborne on the other hand is about the same weight, but has a liner just slightly too snug - result is a splitting headache after a couple of hours wear.
i think helmets really help on friend or foe, in low light, also i just "looks" right
i know their a dear do 
, i put off buying the german helmet for a year, but its my fave bit of kit now.
i wouldnt "tell" anyone to but one, i would hower strongly reccomend getting one, for looks, and for head saftey (i even use my Stahlhelm at work as a hard hat)
i know of two airsofters who both owe their health to a trusty US Army m1 helmet, one guy had a hughe rock dent his at matlock (a rock the bigger than a brick ), another hit a beam at ucap (as headshot said already)
as for being uncomfortable, i have worn helmets for days on end, for real, both us kevlar, british army tosh, and a german bundewher kevlar. ive never once felt uncormfortable or had sore necks, get the correct fit, and no problem
CORRECTION............. the british army helmet is a load of bollocks when worn with body armour, in the prone position, the body armour pushes the back of the helmet up, the front comes down over your eyes and you have to roll on you side to see and shoot 
"Take that you rotton helping of strawberry flan!"
Joseph Porta to "strawberrys and cream", in the sven hassel book ,ogpu prison
the british army helmet is a load of bollocks when worn with body armour, in the prone position, the body armour pushes the back of the helmet up, the front comes down over your eyes and you have to roll on you side to see and shoot
Come on Anthony, they can't think of EVERY eventuality when designing this stuff... I mean, how often would a soldier want to use a helmet AND armour AND lie down whilst shooting?
Surely it's a chance in a million 
Its very rare for commandos to wear helmets
I've seen pictures of Commandos at Dieppe and the Lofoten Islands and they were almost all wearing helmets.
I have to agree that tin pots really finish off a look. I also think that an uncomfortable lid is usually more to do with a badly fitting liner. My kraut M42 is pretty heavy but fits like a glove and I can wear it all day long. My brit airborne on the other hand is about the same weight, but has a liner just slightly too snug - result is a splitting headache after a couple of hours wear.
I'm not saying it didnt happen its just rare.
I've got pics of the going ashore on d-day and in training wearing MKIIs but given the nature of their role and the fact they were not as prone to shelling (which is what helmets protect you against) its rare they were worn.
Anthony, i know what you mean about MKVI lids... remember the 'susat shuffle', dive prone, daysacks push you lid over your eyes so you have to wedge the susat under the helmet lip to keep it up!
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Well, our little corner of WW2 'softing is coming along nicely, and quite a few are opting for the steel lids. On both my German and US loads, I got my metal headwear. I have noticed though (as mentioned before) that most of the German loadouts favour the ski cap, but we're also trying to encourage the wearing of proper helmets for easy identification. And of course, it just looks better.
i usually really struggle to get a helmet to fit my head, managed to get a US one to almost fit, i think it was the biggest there is, after a day it was beginning to hurt a bit as it doesn't fit great.
Have you tried wearing a Jeep cap underneath it makes it a very tight fit and nice and comfortable. 
Good grief! You must have an enormous bonce!
I have a huge head (7 3/4") and have quite a few WWII helmets (US and British) and all fit me fine (except the repro Brit airborne lid which needs a hat stretcher in it).
Have to agree with you there Guy.
This is 2nd only to the absolute rule that you must wear some sort of headgear at all times even if its not a helmet!
When outside......indoors, it comes off.
Oh, and if anyone wants to know why a helmet is a good idea in urban ask Oddball how he got on last time we were at UCAP!
Yes anyone going to UCAP that is over 6ft take note!
I still would not want to dent my nice Gerry helmet though, however I am going US this time so helmet will be with me and jeep cap maybe a bit of cardboard under jeep cap if I am forced to go down that line.
With the tunnels being dark and the need to move quickly it is easy to hit your head in the many low doorways.
I also agree helmets help identify who is who & increase the general reality feel to a game.
Free speech is expensive these days!
I still would not want to dent my nice Gerry helmet though,
Dent it? What's it made from paper mache?
I'll be wearing my original (most are) tommy helmet down there...