Hello guys! The helmet is a rear seam manganese rim with sewn on light OD chinstraps (brass hook and buckle). The liner is a late war westinghouse, chinstrap is postwar. I bought the helmet last year. Its painted with light OD (vehicle?) paint, no cork structure. On the visor shined red color through the OD. I started to strip it a few months ago, this weekend I finishid it.
Does anyone know for what the red painted visor stands for?

striping process

left side and inside

I digged a bit in my old threads... Some guys of you had hundreds of M1 helmets in their hands. Does really nobody have seen such a paint job??? The whole helmet was overpainted with light OD paint, under this there is a layer of dark OD and only the visor is painted red.
Has anybody an idea???

I have seen liners painted similar to this... ....mike

Is the visor the only red painted part? Check costa's older threads as he has a similar painted helmet.

I can't say I've seen a pot painted exactly like yours. As Mike stated, markings like this were sometimes placed on liners, especially during the occupation period. Here's a link of one of my liners with a red band: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...0&start=140 . In the U.S. Army, red is the branch color of the Artillery as well as the Engineers. It could be your pot was used for parade or ceremonial purposes. The fact that it has a smooth finish is also suggestive of this.

The visor is the only red painted part. I checked Costa´s thread a few months ago, I asked him too. He said, that it could be an artillery helmet, but he wasnt sure.
Thank you GITom, now I think artillery-M1 is the right direction of searching.

Maybe it was for slow learners so they would not forget which end was the front.

i still say artillery! it could have been marked for war games??? look--- how many lids with painted insignia have been put up on this forum or have been seen at shows?? still today the origin of such are a mystery, ie-- no pictures or ex vets found to pin point the markings. how many lids have you seen on sleeze pay with odd ball painted insignia that you thought were fake only to see some of them in painted steel. oh yes some of the very same i saw and thought of as humps due to the weird paintings turned out to be real. here is the one i have. the liner is named but, there is no record of this vet in the 45th archives! i beleive it to be a 50's issue however a nifty cover!!!

one more picture--- all looks to be ww2 reissued to the 50's.

Yeap, the same painting style. But theres no division insignia painted on mine... Nice helmet Costa! After reading the further comments and yours, I would say too, artillery makes the most sense.