Original Item: Only One Available. This is an outstanding original U.S. WWII Chemical Warfare Service can of M5 Type II Liquid Vesicant Detector Paint. The can appears to remain sealed and still contains a substantial amount of liquid material. The lid is embossed: 10 5 / 42

This most likely represents an October 5, 1942 production or packaging date.

The M5 was a liquid detector paint developed to warn troops of contamination by blister agents, or vesicants, such as mustard and lewisite. The paint was normally olive-green or brownish-green and was intended to change to a reddish or pink-red color where droplets of liquid vesicant contacted its surface. The Chemical Warfare Service standardized the M5 liquid detector paint by March 1942, alongside detector paper, crayons, and vapor-testing equipment.

Wartime instructions directed that the paint be applied by brush or spray to clearly visible surfaces, including helmets, fences, lamp posts, and the hoods and fenders of vehicles. On helmets and vehicles, it could be incorporated into the existing camouflage pattern while still functioning as a chemical-warning surface.

M5 paint is particularly associated with U.S. airborne troops during the Normandy campaign. Surviving paratrooper helmets are known with areas of vesicant detector paint applied to their shells, including a documented M2 helmet worn by a member of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment on D-Day.

This example remains in excellent overall condition. The metal can retains a clean appearance with only minor age and storage wear. It appears to be unopened, although this cannot be guaranteed without disturbing the original seal. Liquid can still be felt inside the container.

No attempt has been made to open, test, stir, or apply the contents. Due to the age and unknown present composition of the material, the can should remain sealed and should not be shaken, opened, inhaled, handled internally, or exposed to heat. It is sold strictly as a historical collectible and display item. No guarantee is made regarding the paint’s present condition, chemical stability, safety, or ability to react as originally intended.

Complete sealed cans of M5 detector paint are excellent companion pieces for U.S. airborne, Chemical Warfare Service, gas-protection, helmet, or military vehicle collections. The strong condition, surviving liquid contents, and apparent 1942 date make this a particularly desirable example of a specialized piece of WWII protective equipment.