Existing comment:
World War I Gas Mask, US Army
Richardson, Flory & Kops (RFK) pattern, size 3
The U.S. RFK gas mask was the most common pattern issued to American soldiers in France. Based on the British standard model, the U.S. pattern included a better filter canister, a rubberized cloth facepiece impermeable to any known German agent, and a slightly more robust hose-to-mouth connection. The interior of the mask has a mouthpiece for the soldier to breath through -- the nose was held tightly closed by passed clamps.
The system was very effective but uncomfortable. Because the filtered air brought in did not circulate within the mask, the eye-pieces tended to mist over very quickly. The eyepieces are made of two layers of glass with a flexible layer of celluloid laminated between, so that if cracked, it would not allow gas into the mask. |