Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. The U.S. WWII M-1 helmet was only produced from 1941 to 1945. The first production batch resulted with over 323,510 M-1 helmets before the start of the American involvement in the war. This helmet features a "front seam" stainless steel rim, a feature only seen on WWII helmets that were produced 1944 and before. These rims were both rust resistant and had "non-magnetic qualities" that reduced the chance of error readings when placed around certain sensitive equipment (such as a compass). It also features the mid-war style non-magnetic swivel bales, which were introduced in 1943, which places the shell production date sometime during that time. The liner in this helmet is Korean War production, indicating that this helmet was put back into service for that conflict, and the original worn WW2 liner was replaced.
The Ordnance Department selected McCord Radiator and Manufacturing Company of Detroit Michigan to produce the steel M1 helmet bodies. These bodies were made from a single piece of Non-Magnetic Hadfield Manganese steel that was produced by the Carnegie-Illinois & Sharon Steel Corporations. Each completed raw M-1 helmet shell weighed 2.25 lbs each.
This helmet shell is a fine example and still retains all of its original WW2 parts and the shell has all original "corked" grain paint. We were not able to locate the markings on this helmet, but comparison to other examples shows this to be a McCord Radiator manufactured shell. The shape of the rim spot welds is typical McCord, and the gentle flare to the rim are as well. It is a slightly darker shade of green than Schlueter produced shells, and the cork in the paint is flatter and more regular. This helmet shell still has a good amount of the original finish, which is why it was not refinished when being put into service during the Korean war.
The chin strap on this example is sewn on, with stamped brass hardware, and a darker OD Green #7, indicating production in 1944, when buckles were switched from stamped steel back to brass. The earliest helmet chin straps had cast brass, but this had been changed to steel after 1942 to preserve brass for shell casings.
The liner is a "high pressure" Korean War issue and stamped standard Korean War era markings: U.S. / 53 / M11. The liner nape strap and sweat band both have the contract and NSN markings on them, and the webbing is the correct Korean war OD Green #7 cotton webbing. The suspension is in very good condition, though the sweatband definitely shows wear on the leather. The suspension is held tightly within the M-1 helmet liner by rivets and a series of triangular "A" washers. The three upper suspension bands are joined together with a shoestring. This way the wearer could adjust the fit. The leather shell chin strap is original.
An excellent genuine WW2 issue helmet, reissued for the Korean war, perfect for any U.S. Military collection.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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