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Mint, Unissued US WWII dated Pith Helmet


rambob
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I got this absolutely mint, pristine US WWII pith helmet off of Ebay during the early years, when there were still bargains to be had. It has never even had its sweatband laced and still has the paper direction tag attached, as can be seen in the photos. The inside ink stamp is a little blurred, but it looks like:

 

International Hat Co.

NXsx – 67491

June 29, 1944

 

BTW. I added the nice USMC cap badge to the front, to spice it up a little for the pictures. The story is that a master carton of 10 of these helmets were found in an old civil defense shelter and this was the last one they had for sale. I asked the seller if I could buy the carton and he said they had already thrown it away. He had to listen to a grown man cry over the phone.

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Nice helmet! I have never seen one the tag still attached. Actually that is a navy issue helmet. It is possible that the Marines could have used some, but they did have their own contract for these and they were all Khaki.

 

CB

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Cbuehler, Thanks for the info. I was thrilled to get this helmet, off of Ebay of all places. I wish it was one of the USMC issued helmets, but I also believe that since the Navy was transporting tons of Marines, between islands, that the Marines would naturally have aquired and used some of the Navy issue Pith helmets. So I don't think it is too much of a reach to put an USMC EGA cap badge on it for effect.

 

Bob Law

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  • 2 months later...

We found a load of brand new pith helmets 1944 dated at a show today surplus from the lend lease from Greece. With tags and unlaced, tan outside with green inside just as it came from the factory, These can from the same place as the USMC and Navy cammo poncho's that flooded the market recently, priced at £35 each. Talking to the dutch guy today who got them from the Greek army said he bought ton's more goodies that still needs sorting.

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I think the USMC would prefer the green colored sun helmets for use on tropical areas to go with the color of the natural foilage and vegetation

 

they wore green fatiques, so the green sun helmet would go with olive green uniforms better.

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The helmets BC312 talks about are stamped

 

INTERNATIONAL HAT CO.

CONTRACT NOm - 44390

MAY 31, 1944

 

The last 3 numbers in the contract number are a bit blurred but appear to be 390.

 

I was with him when we spotted them and bought one. thumbsup.gif

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craig_pickrall
I think the USMC would prefer the green colored sun helmets for use on tropical areas to go with the color of the natural foilage and vegetation

 

they wore green fatiques, so the green sun helmet would go with olive green uniforms better.

 

 

The OD green helmets are Navy. The USMC used tan like the army version.

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BOB K. RKSS
w00t.gif Since the U.S. Marines are not an independant organization (like the U.S. ARMY, & it's many Corps), but USMC is a Corps of, & WITHIN the U.S. NAVY; so it would not be unusual for Marines to be issued items that are a Navy contract, or marked U.S. NAVY.
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Greg Robinson

If tan on the outside, manufactured by either HAWLEY PRODUCTS CO or INTERNATIONAL HAT CO., and stamped with contract number with NOm prefix then it's USMC contract. Since these were issued to "boots" while in training in the States it's unlikely Navy ones got issued. This being said, who knows what some individual gyrene might wear on some Pacific island far away from the Marine Corps supply system.

 

Those unissued "pith" helmets sound nice. I'd love to run across one of them

 

Greg

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craig_pickrall
Its tan ones we bought.

 

I know the ones you found are tan. I was responding to MAS36's comment not your post.

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craig_pickrall
w00t.gif Since the U.S. Marines are not an independant organization (like the U.S. ARMY, & it's many Corps), but USMC is a Corps of, & WITHIN the U.S. NAVY; so it would not be unusual for Marines to be issued items that are a Navy contract, or marked U.S. NAVY.

 

Bob, I can't say you are wrong but would sure appreciate you finding a period pic to support your comment.

 

There is no question that cross service use of gear existed. I know my father, who was in the army, told the story of all the men in his unit getting a new pair of navy boots while on Okinawa. But then too the navy shouldn't have left that truck load of boots unguarded.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I normally would pass on sun helmets, but this one had a 1966 DSA contract number and a really nice EGA. The last Marines to use these were primary marksmanship instructors, so this may have come from an instructor at Camp Pendleton (I live next to there).

 

post-214-1186967326.jpg

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