Fixed bail Lt helmet

[Ray42]

She looks good to me, by no means am I a helmet veteran if you will but I've done it for a bit now. Not everything is gonna be perfect, and we know our GIs weren't always artists. I like it!

 

Sent from my SM-J327V using Tapatalk

Thank you for the opinion, honestly I really like the imperfections in the lt bar and the somewhat sloppy nature of it because to me it shows that it was done by hand probably quickly by the veteran himself without concern for whether it was perfect or not, he must have had more important worries at the time. This I think adds a lot of character to the piece, assuming it was real.

 

I have two liners that have sweatbands mounted like that, and theyve both been that way forever...yeah its best to leave it all the way you see it.

Thank you I appreciate the reply, I was more concerned for preservation then if it were originally like that because I have seen plenty that do have the headband on the neck trap that I have no doubt are original. Actually one of my other liners from the 101st has the headband in the same position, it is interestingly also from a lieutenant and I had always assumed it had been configured that way for the parade field or something. Makes me wonder why some individuals set them up this way.

[RememberThe5thESB]

Thank you for the opinion, honestly I really like the imperfections in the lt bar and the somewhat sloppy nature of it because to me it shows that it was done by hand probably quickly by the veteran himself without concern for whether it was perfect or not, he must have had more important worries at the time. This I think adds a lot of character to the piece, assuming it was real. 

 

Thank you I appreciate the reply, I was more concerned for preservation then if it were originally like that because I have seen plenty that do have the headband on the neck trap that I have no doubt are original. Actually one of my other liners from the 101st has the headband in the same position, it is interestingly also from a lieutenant and I had always assumed it had been configured that way for the parade field or something. Makes me wonder why some individuals set them up this way.

Having reenacted before and just wearing M1s for giggles sometimes, the sweatband in that position is FAR more comfortable than it's normal position. You get overall more support on your head too, I will say though you're unable to lean the helmet back like you see in a lot of photos, it sits far more straight, if not more downward so that the brim is close to the eyebrow level. But in general it is way more comfortable long term.

 

Sent from my SM-J327V using Tapatalk

 

 

[Ray42]

Bringing this back up again because I think I might have found the Veteran who owned it. I found a Nathaniel M Austin who enlisted not very far from the area that I purchased the helmet and a book I found on Ancestory.com says he retired in Oct. 1944 as a 1st Lt. All of that seems to make sense except for why they would let officers retire in the middle of WW2, the retirement code is listed as K1, does anyone know what that means? If it helps he may have been in some Auxiliary unit because his category is listed as A US.

[ArchangelDM]

Always liked this one Ray -

[Ray42]

Thanks, It has definitley grown to be my favorite (and only) ww2 helmet in my colection due to everything I learned about it on this forum and subsequent literature that I have bought.