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My first (and probably only) WWII M1 Helmet! A dream come true!


stratasfan
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Oh, boy! I am so excited with this one! Wanted to share it for a couple of weeks now and finally got to taking photos! I've been a poster on a bunch of the boards on this forum, but as far as helmets are concerned . . . I'm as newbie as you can get. I'd have to say that my interest is really strictly from watching WWII movies and wanting to see and feel a real helmet to know what it is really like. OK . . . it is most likely that shot of the helmet on the beach at the beginning of "The Longest Day" that sparked my interest in the beginning. ;)

However, I really don't know much about them at all. Generic shapes - enough to know that a Great War helmet looks like the British helmet, the short style with a wider brim, and the TR helmets had a lower rim that came down over the ears. However, a 1970s Swiss helmet looked the same as a WWII helmet to me. I know . . . groans from the old-hands!

I wanted one WWII helmet, just for the pure fun of it. So that I can put it on the book shelf and touch it and try it on, etc. Well, I got one on a trade a few weeks ago. Fine by me, as I could never hope to have the amount of money that I see helmets listed for. I was thrilled!

I was told that my helmet is a WWII M1 rear seam with repro medic markings and chin strap and a late/post-WWII liner with reppro headband and leather chinstrap. To lay it right out at the beginning . . . that was totally fine by me, as I don't mind repaired or repro items. Sometimes (quite often) it is the only way I can afford to have something. While medic markings wouldn't have been the first thing I'd choose for my one and only WWII helmet, it's fine, and I was happy to say yes to the trade. (Still am happy with it!) You know . . .it has this fish-net thing over it, which I assume is for sticking leaves in for camouflage, and I assume it is a repro, but don't know.

Here it is - the shell (I believe that this is the part called a shell?):

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Liner coming in next post . . .

 

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Liner (now, if it had been a Constabulary painted liner, it would have been just about tops! :) ):

 

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I never knew that you could wear the liner without the shell before! Actually, I always thought that a helmet was a one=piece thing. However, it sure make sense how you could use your helmet "pot" for washing and things . . . seeing that the liner has all the straps and headband parts in it!

 

So . . . my new gem! I've already worn it around the house (Boy! what tired neck muscles this makes when not used to it!) and it is now upstairs getting ready to go onto a book shelf!

 

So excited about this!

Elizabeth

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I am happy you were able to dip your toes in the water some. I'm not sure what the trade value was for you, but now that know what a helmet should look like if you hit up swap meets and alike you can find untouched WW2 helmets at good prices. Read up on them first. They kind of all look the same but they are not. Each one has clues as to when it was made and what it's story is.

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You know . . . we've grown up going to flea markets, estate sales, auctions, antique stores, etc. and I've never seen a real helmet ever! However, I'll sure keep my eyes open! After some basic reading, though, I don't know that I'll ever master all the points needed to really know how to buy one! Besides . . . I don't have much room for displaying helmets. The most I might aim for would be to replace this liner with a Constabulary one and maybe get a Great War helmet one time. However . . . I think the closest I'll get to a Constabulary liner will be to paint one myself! :) Every time I've ever seen them, they are way over my budget! However . . . to quote the WWII song - I can dream, can't I? :)

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You know . . . we've grown up going to flea markets, estate sales, auctions, antique stores, etc. and I've never seen a real helmet ever! However, I'll sure keep my eyes open! After some basic reading, though, I don't know that I'll ever master all the points needed to really know how to buy one! Besides . . . I don't have much room for displaying helmets. The most I might aim for would be to replace this liner with a Constabulary one and maybe get a Great War helmet one time. However . . . I think the closest I'll get to a Constabulary liner will be to paint one myself! :) Every time I've ever seen them, they are way over my budget! However . . . to quote the WWII song - I can dream, can't I? :)

WW2 helmets are not an every day thing, but they do show up. Because no one really knows what they have I pick them up for about $50.00. You have to go to junky swap meets. That is were the deals are. Heat treat numbers, fixed from swivel bail, Stainless steal rim front or rear seam from manganese rear seam, chin straps and paint are what you need to know for a good start. You can print out a cheet sheet and have that with you on your hunts.

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Oh . . . that's interesting. I'll pull it out in the morning and look. What would that tell you? Anything else I should take pictures of that might be good to show?

 

What is a swivel bail? Out of curiosity . . .

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Oh . . . that's interesting. I'll pull it out in the morning and look. What would that tell you? Anything else I should take pictures of that might be good to show?

 

What is a swivel bail? Out of curiosity . . .

Look for an ink stamp with a makers name on the sweat band, also take pics of the buckle on the liner chin strap and pics of the heat treat stamp on the pot. This is inside front near the bill of the helmet and look dead center inside of the liner you will see the makers stamp for that liner, it's not post war issue.

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Great to hear you're so happy with your trade. That's what makes this hobby such a good time. Helmets are certainly not my area. I get shell shocked watching on this forum a helmet, which looks fine to me, get picked apart (usually in a kind manner) by the folks who know. It seems to be a mine field. In any event congratulations on your new to you helmet.

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Oh . . . that's interesting. I'll pull it out in the morning and look. What would that tell you? Anything else I should take pictures of that might be good to show?

 

What is a swivel bail? Out of curiosity . . .

Swivel bail refers to the part of the shell that the chin strap is hooked to. One on both sides that swivel side to side. A fixed bail would be welded to the shell thus stationary.

 

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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Early US helmets had the bail ( the part the helmet chin strap is sewn too) welded to the pot, they do not flex. Later pots had the bail that moves about.

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Oh . . . that's interesting. I'll pull it out in the morning and look. What would that tell you? Anything else I should take pictures of that might be good to show?

 

What is a swivel bail? Out of curiosity . . .

 

 

The "bail" (or "loop") are the things that the cotton chinstraps attach to on the "shell". "Swivel bails" literally move or swivel and are made up of a base and a wire loop. "fixed bails" are not movable, metal loops welded directly to the shell. Fixed bail helmets are earlier production, and swivel bails later, being mid1944 to post war production.

 

 

Warning, Helmets can get addictive. Just sayin...

 

 

Edit, adding; They ^ type faster than I do.

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Oh, thanks for all the pointers! Fixed and Swivel is so simple now that you explain it like that!

 

I'll take those pictures in the morning! Interested in seeing what they tell you.

 

sundance . . . I agree! Deep topic, helmets! However, I'm thrilled to have one! ------ Oh, no . . . that's what I said about wings and that is what started my whole dive into militaria in the first place! :wacko:

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Congrats! That's a nice representative piece to display for sure! ...but beware, M-1 helmets are highly addictive! There should be a warning on the inside like they do on cigarette packages! There's lots to know about them for sure, but lots of resources to draw from and some of the most experienced M-1 collectors in the world are on this forum!

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Congrats on your first helmet! I still have my first M1, one my Dad bought me at an army surplus store in Massachusetts back in the 80s.

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Look for an ink stamp with a makers name on the sweat band, also take pics of the buckle on the liner chin strap and pics of the heat treat stamp on the pot. This is inside front near the bill of the helmet and look dead center inside of the liner you will see the makers stamp for that liner, it's not post war issue.

 

Couldn't see any ink marks or maker's name on the leather sweatband.

 

Here are pics of the buckle on the liner chinstrap (to me the leather feels like newer leather, but I've never felt a genuine one, either, so can't say really):

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Here is a pic of the stamp on the front of the inside of the helmet (Only took me a minute to find it, and it was there!):

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Pic of the liner stamp coming in another post . . .

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Here are pics of the stamp in the top underside of the liner (this took me longer to find, but there it was plain as day --- once I held it up to a light!):

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So . . . I'm interested in finding out what the helmet and liner stamps tell you and mean. The liner stamp looks like it has a symbol below the number and the symbol reminds me of Westinghouse. ;)

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Are you going to leave the paint as is?

 

I don't know . . . should I? I thought that I could eventually paint it to put something on it more up my alley (maybe even just green and make it plain), but what kind of paint would you use and how do you get the right colour?

 

As far as the liner . . . Eventually, I am thinking to do it up as a Constabulary liner, as I LOVE those and will probably never get a real one.

 

A question . . . what is the liner made of? I can't tell by looking and poking at it! -grin-

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So, mine is a swivel bail . . . and what makes a "rear seam"?

 

Also, I've been looking at a few pictures . . . and what makes the difference between an M1 and an M2 helmet? I see people post M2 and M1 and they look so close that I don't know what to look at to tell the basic difference. (I said I was totally new to this whole thing! :) )

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So, mine is a swivel bail . . . and what makes a "rear seam"?

 

Also, I've been looking at a few pictures . . . and what makes the difference between an M1 and an M2 helmet? I see people post M2 and M1 and they look so close that I don't know what to look at to tell the basic difference. (I said I was totally new to this whole thing! :) )

If you look at the "bill" of the helmet a front seam means the seam were that thin metal band that runs the skirt of the helmet is joined is at the front of the helmet. A rear seam is joined at the back of the helmet. Transitional helmets can have a stainless steel rim that is seamed at the front or rear of the helmet, but normally they are joined at the front. A late war helmet has a manganese metal rim that is joined at the rear. Your liner was made by Westinghouse and is a WW2 liner. You may have to unclip the sweat band and take it off and look at the back side to see if it has a stamp. Your heat treat stamp looks like a 156 B to me, is that correct? It looks like your liner chin strap is missing the pin. You can use a finishing nail cut to size to replace that missing pin.

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The M-1 is the standard combat helmet. A M-2 D bail is a jump helmet. The D bail is welded to the pot just like a standard early war fixed bail and that looks like a " ] "only the bail looks like a "D" . D bails are not common and go for a pretty penny. Lots of fakes to be found.

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