My M3 flak helmet

[Renegade]

Been wanting one for years, found one at a antique mall some weeks back

 

[Renegade]

[Renegade]

Insides are a little rough, the chin strap is wrong and looks to me that it is a strap for attaching tools and gas cans to jeeps or other vehicles. Do you think I should remove or consider it was added as a field expediant fix?

 

[chrishoon]

if you can find the original looks like a button i have one at home you do have most of it there your missing the ear pads liner and strap

[strawberry 9]

It's hard to get a complete M3 at a good price. Mine is complete minus the chinstrap. It seems they are either missing a chinstrap, an ear pad or the sweatband. This might have been a field repair. Is it bartacked? I would leave it since it is almost impossible to buy the chinstrap alone.

[Sabrejet]

Essentially what you have there is a relic...finding/replacing the missing parts would be well-nigh impossible. Best save up your pennies and wait for a better one to come along!

[LarryM3]

Essentially what you have there is a relic...finding/replacing the missing parts would be well-nigh impossible. Best save up your pennies and wait for a better one to come along!

 

Have to agree with Ian on this one. Better for you to save up your money and get a good used example. They are out there you just have to be patient.

 

Larry

[Sabrejet]

Here's a complete one on eBay for $279.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WWII-US-ARMY-AIR-CORPS-USAAF-M3-STEEL-FLAK-FLIGHT-HELMET-/330791759982?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d04b9b06e

[bellasilva]

Did McCord/Schlueter produce those?

[Sabrejet]

Did McCord/Schlueter produce those?

 

Good question...to which I don't know the answer! Obviously it was one of them. I suppose regular shells were just pulled off the production lines and modified accordingly. The interior fittings and flock coating mask any lot numbers or "S" marks. Also, the tell-tale front seam weld isn't present either. In fact, on my example the join is on the side (with no "dimples")

[pump 150]

Info that I have (from Reynosa's book) is that McCord was the sole producers of these M-3's, 194,683 total. 1943-2,613, 1944-166,540, 1945-44,390. McCord also produced the M-5 model.