The rumor mill was hard at work in World War II, because information was hard to get, enemy disinformation was rampant and sometimes they didn't know better. Because they were all deployed American troops, the gaps in their knowledge were filled with - you guessed it - rumors. Since operational security was also paramount during the war, they weren't told a lot about what they were doing or why: They knew what they needed to know. was also not the well-developed and well-connected country we know it as today, these conscripts were experiencing a lot for the very first time. The soldiers who fought in North Africa, Europe and the Far East were largely drafted. In World War II, the United States wasn't fielding a professional, all-volunteer army.

But keep in mind: You are not John Wayne.Īlso Read: Why John Wayne Was Labeled a 'Draft Dodger' During World War II Wayne, of course, didn't wear any helmet to any war. John Wayne could have worn one in a movie about either war.

So those unclasped chin straps dangling from helmets look so cool in both World War II and Vietnam, because they were the same helmet. It was also useful against Viet Cong bullets and shrapnel.

German badass military tanks modern