| Armor, Body, Fragmentation, Protective, Vest Type, M-52 | |
|---|---|
 1967, 27 February,Company C, 9th Marines, Operation Chinhook | |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1952-1980+ |
| Used by | United States Marine Corps United States Navy |
| Wars | Korean War 1958 Lebanon Crisis Vietnam War |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 8.5 pounds (~3.8 kg) |
M-1952 Flak Jacket was a 20th century American flak jacket. It was used during the Korean and Vietnam wars.
The M-1952 Flak vest, or "Armor, Body, Fragmentation, Protective, Vest Type, M-52" was a flak vest designed for the United States Marine Corps during the Korean war. Following the joint US Army and Marine Corps designed M51 Flak Jacket, the M-52 used aluminum plates instead of Doron. [1] [2]
The M-1952A Body Armor was an 8.5 pound vest made up of twelve layers of flexible laminated nylon. [3] It had epaulets, a zip front closure and adjustable elastic draw cords on each side. It had cargo pockets with the left one having a pen compartment. [4]
The Marine Corps first used the M-1952 during the Korean War. It reached frontline troops in late 1952, and only in relatively small quantities. [3] They continued to use it throughout the 1958 Lebanon Crisis and during the early stages of the Vietnam War. [5]
The U.S. Navy used them quite heavily in Vietnam, including with their Mobile Riverine Force. The M-1952 was phased out of use by the M-1955 vest during the Vietnam Conflict. [6] The Marine Corps used the vest into the 1980s during training. [7]
United States: United States Marine Corps, United States Navy.
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