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The GM54 A and GM54 B were German gas masks issued to both Civil Defense and the German Military. NOTE: Since there are two versions of the manual, one calling the gm30 style one GM54A and the other one calling it GM54B existing, the gm 30 style mask is called GM54A and the one with the side exhale valve GM54B in the flowing text.
GM54A[]
Overview[]
The GM54A and B were gas masks similar in design to that of the GM30 and the GM38. The GM54A and B were built from a canvas material coated in a grayish-green rubber coating, similar to previous German mask designs.
The GM54A uses an inlet and outtake valve attached to the front of the mask, with a me
tal cover covering the outtake valve to prevent damage and decay. It is a slightly simplified version of the GM38 / late GM30 design.
The GM54B however used a intake port similar to the world war II era volksmaske series of mask and a side exhale valve.
Both Masks used the same strap system as the GM30, with a bottom strap to tighten the mask for a better seal, most models also included a carry strap. As with the GM30, the lenses are fixed via two rings screwed into the mask.
The mask was issued in a large metal canteen as most GM masks were, with a simple carry strap attached for mobility. The can itself is larger than the ones issued with WW2-Era gas masks, but contained the same utensils. In the early days of the Bundeswehr the Masks got issued in Gm38 cans with a canvas cover, since the Bundeswehr wanted to distance themselves from the Wehrmacht and to stop it from rattling.
Filter[]
The GM54A and B were mostly issued with a slightly improved version of the filter issued with the GM30 mask, the FE 55, the filter is small and lightweight. Alternatively, it could also be issued with a Zivilschutzfilter 68 (Civil Defense Filter 68). In very rare cases, FE41 or FE42 were issued as training filters; they'd be repainted in olive color. Filters marked with a red ring on the top are training filters
In Popular Culture[]
A mashup of a GP-5-style mask and a GM54 may be seen on the cover of Attack.Blood.Revenge album released by Revenge band.
It is also widely spread amongst WW2 reenactors, due to its similarity to the GM30 and GM38 and the fact it's a surplus, and therefore cheap mask.
GM54B[]
There is not much Info about the GM54B except for one sheet of a Manual showing both versions of the mask but messes the Intake scheme up. Also there are two versions of the Manual