WWII-era M1s on the Eastern Front

[Gregory]

Hello,

 

This is a "black hole" in the European military literature. Not one author touched it so far. According to the QMC documents the M1 helmets were not exported to Russia within the framework of Lend Lease Act. The question is how the Russians got them from the USA? Were they for instance as an addition in the tanks, trucks or other vehicles for Russia? How it was possible that the Russians have so many fixed bail M1s they were able to give them for example Polish Army fighting on the Eastern Front? Has anybody seen at least one WWII-era M1 with Soviet red star painted on front?

 

Best regards

 

Greg

[Andrei]

Do you have pictures of Red Army troops or Polish soldiers with USM1 helmets ?

[jgawne]

My understanding of Russian lend lease was they insisted that all equipment, like tanks and such, come with a full set of equipment. Which inma way makes sesne as they would need non-metric tools for them. But this also includes things like (supposedly) weapons for the crew - (TSMG and belts and clips and such).

 

So I wonder if helmets were included in such shipments. Although I have not heard of any being found on the battlefield's in the east. But a lot of US messkits have, and boots, and stuff.

I'll have to ask some eatern front diggers I know if anyoen has found any M!'s in the field (which would make sure that they were used in the war, not just some sort of post war aquisition (ah ha! for Spetzmaz use!)

[sgtdorango]

I have heard that the tanks were shipped with tanker helmets for the crews......mike

[Mr-X]

I've seen pics of Russian M-3 light tank crews with tanker helmets armed with TSMGs. I'll see if I can scan a pic and post it.

I havent seen any pics of M-1 helmets though.

[Gregory]

Thanks Gents for the replies.

 

Yes, that's right, in the Lend Lease vehicles for Russia were various items not necessarily mentioned in official LL documents but I have never heard there were also M1 helmets. To my surprise fixed bales are dug out by militaria explorers from Polish ground. The only one imaginable source of them is Red Army.

 

Do you have pictures of Red Army troops or Polish soldiers with USM1 helmets ?

No, I have never seen Soviet soldier wearing M1 during WWII but on the other hand I am not big "sovietologist" when it comes to my military and history passions. Maybe somebody saw such a soldier? Feel free to write here.

 

The pics of the Polish soldiers with M1s on their heads are ultra rare -- I mean of course Eastern Front. I do not want to violate good manners and to copy here somebody's collection and property. That is why look please below at two links to the Polish forum dedicated to helmets. There are two posts of one user "Piotr" who shows Polish troops in 1944 and with M1s as well as he shows a fixed bail dug out in Poland.

 

http://www.helmy.fora.pl/helmy-na-zdjeciac...otki,9.html#316

 

http://www.helmy.fora.pl/helmy-na-zdjeciac...i,9-15.html#915

 

I am not at the scanner now but in the days to come I will try to post 2-3 pics of the Polish troops between 1947-1948 with their M1s formerly from the ETO. Those pics will show the M1s (perhaps both fixed and swivel bales) that arrived to Poland in 1945 from the ETO together with untypical Polish force called "Zgrupowanie Polskiej Piechoty we Francji", or ZPPwF, (The Group of Polish Infantry in France). It was a group of the Polish battalions formerly fighting in the Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur (FFI). The Group was equipped by the US Army and belonged to the French 1st Army. After WWII they came back to Poland. In the ETO their M1s had big red shield painted on front and white eagle in the shield also painted by hand rather than via special mask.

 

This source (ZPPwF) of the Polish M1 helmets is entirely understandable if they arrived from the ETO after hostilities. But from what source Eastern Front-based Polish Army could have M1s when so-called "ETO" was an abstraction for the Allied land forces and ETO existed only for the airmen, sailors and commandos? I mean pre-D-Day period when not one Allied M1 helmet touched continental ground.

 

Best regards

 

Gregory

[gunbunny]

I have a group of photos from the Detroit Tank Arsenal illustrating how to prepare vehicles for shipment. This group includes a series of shots dealing with the Sherman tank and shows all the items placed in the big wooden crate stowed on the back of the engine compartment of these vehicles. Along with all the tools, weapons, etc., are five nice mint condition tanker's helmets. So at least this kind of headgear was included as "on board" equipment for lend-lease tanks.

[Jeeper704]

Would be interesting to post these photos here if you can/want.

 

Erwin

[sgtdorango]

Yes I would love to see those photos too!......mike

[Gregory]

I have a group of photos from the Detroit Tank Arsenal illustrating how to prepare vehicles for shipment. This group includes a series of shots dealing with the Sherman tank and shows all the items placed in the big wooden crate stowed on the back of the engine compartment of these vehicles. Along with all the tools, weapons, etc., are five nice mint condition tanker's helmets. So at least this kind of headgear was included as "on board" equipment for lend-lease tanks.

Hello,

 

Thank you very much for your first post at the USMF just here in this topic.

 

What you wrote is very interesting. It means that 4,102 Shermans for Russia contained 20,510 M1938 tanker helmets that officially do not exist in L-L documents as an export item for USSR.

 

Is this possible that similarly could be with M1 helmets? If, for instance, every Jeep or Studebaker for Russia had two, three, four etc. M1 helmets it would be understandable in what manner M1s arrived on the Eastern Front in bigger quantity.

 

Best regards

 

Greg

[gunbunny]

I dug out those photos mentioned above. I was wrong in stating they were from the Detroit Depot, they are from the Toledo Depot. Photo lot consists of about 100 nice crisp 8 X 10 glossies of tanks, halftracks, armored cars, etc. Included is a nice set showing all the OVM, spares, weapons, crew equipment, etc., for the M4 Sherman and how it is to be packed for overseas shipment. I am sharing the two photos that show the tanker's helmets. I regret that my scanner is down and I had to photograph these. In the one photo you will notice the five helmets nestled in their waterproof container. How would you like to come across a few of those? Enjoy

 

 

[sgtdorango]

Great photos!!!!!!! ......mike

[Gregory]

Despite the fact that we entered "off-topic area" I thank you very much as well because the pics are very interesting.

[jgawne]

I asked a guy who knows a lot of diggers in Poland. Here's his answer.

 

I have never found US helmet on our battlefield, and I have never spoken to someone who had. But it is 100 % sure thet Soviets used them, and gave a little number of them for Polish soldiers from Polish Communist Army, created in USSR in 1943. I remember I have seen a photo - took just after the war (September 1945 or something like that). There was Polish soldier on the photo, with US helmet, with painted communist eagle (without crown) on it. But I don't know where I saw that photo - I wanted to send a scan for you, but after I take a look to all my books I still can't find it. Maybe I saw it in not my book, maybe a friend show it to me, I'm not sure

[Gregory]

Hello,

 

But it is 100 % sure that Soviets used them, and gave a little number of them for Polish soldiers from Polish Communist Army, created in USSR in 1943.

Yes, it is true, East-based and communists-controlled Polish Army belonged to illegal Polish authorities was equipped to some extent from the US and British stocks of L-L. They were unfortunate people who -- due to various reasons -- could not reach the Polish Army evacuating from the USSR to Middle East and MTO.

 

Big irony of fate is in fact that the US M1 helmets have never been worn by the Polish soldiers of the only one legal Polish Armed Forces and their London-based government. The M1s were only on the heads of totally illegal Polish Army organized by the Commies. It concerns both Eastern Front and ETO. For the Westerners it may be hard to believe but the Polish Commies and their illegal quasi-authorities had their military representatives in the ETO. It was ZPPwF I mentioned. Under the auspices of the French FFI and next French 1st Army in the ETO Polish followers of communistic system controlled ZPPwF battalions equipped by the US Army. Is not it geopolitical, social and historic madness?

 

The only one case where the Polish Armed Forces soldiers of London-based Polish government could wear the US helmets were Polish paras from top elite unit called Samodzielna Kompania Grenadierów, or SKG, I mentioned at this forum earlier. This company trained together with the OSS because company's tasks were the same as in the case of OSS -- to operate in special missions for the government and intelligence. According to several memoirs some SKG paras had M2 helmets.

 

Now small review what was painted on the Polish M1 helmets:

 

1. This is an example for comparison only. This eagle has never been painted on the Polish M1s. It is official Polish Eagle painted in the MTO and ETO on the helmets of the Polish soldiers subordinated to London-based government and its Polish Armed Forces conceded by the Allies till July 1945.

 

 

2. Here is an example from the ETO. This is other type of the eagle in red shield as painted on the Polish M1 helmets in communists-controlled ZPPwF in the French 1st Army.

 

 

3. What can be seen below are the original metal badge of the Polish eagle preferred by the Commies after WWII and its stencil version as painted on the US M1 helmets in post-war Poland. This eagle has always been called by the Poles "kurica" (original Russian spelling курица which means "chicken").

 

 

[ficus9999]

Soviet Navy.Naval artillery Mk2 and M1

Last photo - Shumshu island.Soviet helmet M1

 

[Paddyd00]

Extremely interesting thread and something I have never thought about. Those convoys had such a hard time getting through the Arctic dropping off supplies to the Russian Ports due to the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe. You had to figure some of the cargo would have been M1s. Probably tons under the sea as well. 
Z

[Burning Hazard]

Very interesting pictures, same with the ground dug M1!

 

I knew US sent lend lease products to USSR but never came across an M1 helmet before.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Pat

[GITom1944]

I'd never heard of USSR-used M1s before, Interesting thread! Here's a possible source for some of these: In 1945 the U.S. began to transfer amphibious warfare & related vessels to the Soviet Union under Project Hula. Dozens of minesweepers, subchasers, patrol frigates, LCIs were sent to assist the USSR to enter the war against Japan. Soviet naval personnel were secretly trained in the Aleutians. The first photo above shows Soviet sailors, possibly aboard one of the U.S. built ships. The second pic shows USSR soldiers (possibly Naval Infantry) in front of a Japanese tank. This and the third photo (also Naval Infantry) may be from Manchuria in August 1945. If the Hulu ships were sent "fully-equipped" they might have had enough M1s and Mk3 talkers to equip the crews. The project's secrecy might have kept some of the gear from showing up in the tally of other Lend-Lease equipment.

 

Tom

[GITom1944]

According to this article about Project Hula USA Project.Hula.Secret.Soviet-American.Cooperation.WWII.pdf (ibiblio.org) before the ships were transferred BUSHIPS was sending items to fully equip them, including helmets.

 

 

 

Tom

[Salvage Sailor]

For those members who are not familiar with Project Hula

 

 

Topic on the USMF here  USS Burlington (PF-51) USCG to USSR to USN Korean War Gunboat PROJECT HULA

[ficus9999]

A few more photos that I managed to find:
1 photo - Column of tanks М4А2 "Sherman", 5th Guards Tank Army, May 1944
2 photos - Soviet reconnaissance unit equipped with Indien 741V motorcycles, 1943. The second and fourth soldiers are in the ranks. And Plus the second rank - the second, third and fourth soldiers
3 photos - Motorcycles "Harley-Davidson DCA", 4th motorcycle regiment of the 6th Panzer Army, Romania, August 1944. No helmets, but cool !!! - Harley-Davidson ..... Sorry for my English (((