Easy Company Helmet
Bastogne, Belgium
January 2001

E Company, 2nd BN, 506th PIR helmet from the December 1944-January 1945 time period, found at Bastogne, January 2001

A white spade (as used on playing cards) was applied to each side of all 506th PIR helmets sometime toward the end of May 1944, with the purpose of acting as a recognition flash, so that members of the regiment could easily identify each other in battle.

A white mark on the right of the spade indicated 1st Battalion (companies A, B, C, and 1st BN HQ); a mark below the spade identified 2nd Battalion (companies D, E, F, and 2nd BN HQ); a mark on the left meant 3rd Battalion (companies G, H, I, and 3rd BN HQ); and a mark above the spade signified Regimental Headquarters of 506th PIR.

In addition to the spade recognition flash, all officers wore a vertical white bar on the back of their helmet and NCOs a horizontal bar.

NOTE: the entire 3rd Battalion of the 506th PIR jumped into Normandy with the 1st Battalion stencil painted onto their helmets in error!

Other parachute infantry regiments used hearts and clubs on their helmets