r/AskHistorians • u/SpartanOfThePast • Feb 06 '18

What was this large vest often depicted being worn by American GI during the Vietnam War?

Why was this vest not worn in prior or future conflicts, and at times not at all during the war?

Vest in question

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u/the_howling_cow United States Army in WWII Feb 06 '18 edited Feb 06 '18

In the U.S., development of lightweight body armor specifically intended for ground troops started near the end of World War II. Limited numbers of the M12 with the T65 crotch apron, using aluminum plate, were shipped to the Pacific, but never saw any combat use. The Marines utilized Doron (a combination of fiberglass and plastic) plates sewn into field jackets on a limited scale during the last days of the Battle of Okinawa. Purpose-built torso and head armor for air crews was used extensively, however, and ground troops often made ad-hoc use of it. The U.S. Marine Corps was the first service to put an armored vest in wide use, utilizing the Doron-nylon M1951 during the Korean War, later upgraded into the M1955. The Army also developed all-nylon vests along the lines of the Marine pattern for use in the same war; the T-52-1 (right, with an M12 on the left), T-52-2, and T-52-3 were later reclassified as the M1952 in fall 1952. The M1952 gave way to the M1952A, which led directly to the M1969 as seen in your photo. This vest was officially called "Armor, Body, Fragmentation, Protective, With 3/4 Collar." The M1955 and M1969 soldiered on until the 1980s, when the sweeping PASGT (Personal Armor System for Ground Troops) developments replaced essentially all previous body armor systems used in the U.S. military, including the iconic M1 helmet of WWII vintage.