MovieChat Forums > Band of Brothers (2001) Discussion > White Spades painted on helmets.

White Spades painted on helmets.


Just getting around to watching this. I come from a long line of Army but did not serve myself.

The realism is off the charts but the white Spades painted on the helmets is bothering me.

From talking to my Father and Grandfather, soldiers went out of their way not to have any thing on the body that could be an easy target..

Is this insigia correct?

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As far as I know, yes it is correct. See this photo, taken during Operation Market Garden, September 1944.

http://i2.wp.com/historiek.net/wp-content/uploads-phistor1/2014/09/51.jpg

See the helmets with the white spades.

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First let me say how I loved this series. If you don't own the DVD set I suggest you get it. Now, on to the photo:
I'd say it's time to get the crazy's on the Internet going. The priest in the photo looks like he's talking on a cell phone. Time for some Time Travel theories.

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That's because that man is neither a man nor a priest; he is a Doctor.

Who ... you may ask?

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The insignia was indeed correct. The 101st Airborne featured the following playing card stencils on their helmets: Diamonds for 501st, Hearts for 502nd, Spades for 506th and Clubs for the 327th Glider Infantry. It was hoped these symbols would facilitate the re-assembly of various units after an airborne landing.

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Same goes for the bars painted on the back of the helmets. They were intended to make it easier for squads and platoons to form up.

The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen.

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Contrary to claims you will see on Internet threads about US troops supposedly having no insignia on their helmets in WW2, there are many WW2 photos online that prove otherwise. Instead of asking random people on IMDb, a quick search of the Internet would have within 30 seconds shown you as many photos as you wanted to see from D-Day and shortly thereafter of US paratroopers with unit and officer rank insignia on their helmets. For example, the famous photos of Eisenhower chatting with geared-up 101st Airborne troops with their faces painted black and white hearts painted on the sides of their helmets, waiting to board the C-47s that will take them to Normandy -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_airborne_landings_in_Normandy#/media/File:Eisenhower_d-day.jpg

or this one from Market Garden -

http://demons.swallowthesky.org/post/21340394693





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IMDB is a great place to get answers, and he did in fact get an answer. The only problem with asking question on the IMDB is the douche bag responses like yours.

You are taking a dump and they call GQ do you pinch it off or finish your business?

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If the enemy can see an insignia on your helmet, he can see your whole head too, so you're already in trouble.

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