The A1 was the standard military gas mask for the Argentinian army. It was manufactured by Pirelli Argentina on the base of the EM2 and EM3, taking elements from both.
Mask overview[]
The A1 faceblank was made of moulded beige rubber, textured on the outside and smooth on the inside. Inside the mask there is an internal divider made of synthetic sponge directly attached to the mask, which separated the faceblank in two parts, reducing dead space and helping to prevent fogging while wearing the mask.
The faceblank had the following parts attached:
- The 5-straps head harness, with 4 of those being elastic
- Crimped eyepieces with triplex glass, 66mm wide
- Inlet-outlet assembly, which contains both the inlet and outlet valve. The assembly is connected on one end to the mask and on the other to the hose. The outlet valve is placed looking backwards with a threaded lid keeping it in place
- Corrugated hose, threaded on both end, which connects the mask to the filter.
Filter[]
The filter was an adaptation of the Tubin pattern industrial filter that had a thread on the top. It has two holes at the bottom to let air in.
Kit[]
The mask came with its hose and filter inside a square bag, which had a section for the filter and another for the mask when not in use. Two small pockets on the inside stored a spare exhale valve in a box and the anti-fogging lenses.
History[]
Origin and adoption[]
An A1 intake on the left and an EM2 intake on the right. Note that the A1 one is positioned backwards and has a thread, while the other doesn't
The A1 was adopted in 1934 as the first Pirelli military mask for Argentina. Its bases were the EM2 and the EM3, it had the fixed straps of the first and the larger eyepieces of the second.
There were some more characteristics designed specifically for this mask:
- the exhale valve pointed backwards (probably to reduce the bulk and to avoid having it bumping on things)
- the intake, the filter and the hose were given threads (probably as an emergency measure to be able to use the filter even if the hose was thorn)
A1 masks in use
Artillery unit with A1 gas masks, 1935
A1 (on the right) from the Museo de Armas de la Nacion (Buenos Aires)
Possible issues for abandoning of the A1[]
The A1 had a very short lifespan in comparison to other military masks, as in only 2 years it was replaced by the A2; in fact, there are not many pictures of these in use. This might have been due to a number of possible reasons:
- The large machined piece at the front probably was still too bulky, regardless of the measure taken
- The soft rubber made the intake-outtake assembly wobble too much, restraining airflow and encumbering respiration (same issue as the Penna)
- The pressure required to exhale might have been deemed too much (a problem that was fixed by the double exhale valve of the A2)
- The seal might have been not secure enough (another problem solved with the A2 with the addition of two extra straps)
- The mask overall might have been too expensive to make