6 May 2024 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

Was any form of ear protection common in WW2? I remember a WW2 gunner, long since passed, telling me that he didn't use any and he had very poor hearing later in life as a result.

Original U.S. WWII Era Artillery M.S.A. Ear Defenders

Can't say if they were common but they had them


The military led the charge in developing hearing protection, notably with the Mallock-Armstrong earplugs used in WWI and the V-51R earplugs used in WWII. Improvements in comfort were introduced with the development of glass-down plugs in the late 1950s and foam earplugs in the 1970s.1