Salty WW2 era M1C helmet and liner, maybe post or KW issue?

[P-59A]

I just did a horse trade and cash deal for this helmet and liner. This helmet has some issues that detract and things that are interesting. Let me start with the lid. It's a rear seam manganese rim. The lot number looks to be 1162A. It has a cork texture and is named to Robert A Able s/n RA-13377514. There is more after this, but I do not understand what it means. The long strap is missing its fittings and the snap has the broken liner female snap inside of it. The short strap is intact. If one of you can find anything on Able that would go a long way to fitting it to a time frame. I think the RA- s/n is a post war number, but I am not sure about that. If any of you can figure out what the writing after the s/n means that would be good to know.

[P-59A]

The liner is a Westinghouse liner, but it looks to be a rigger type liner. While the yoke is behind the A washers the A washers are not snug to the yoke or the liner. The buckle on the yoke is not the fat buckles associated with a factory liner. If Westinghouse did this I have not heard about it. The chin strap is not original to the helmet. It lacks the wear and tear of everything else. As noted one of the helmet female snaps has broken and the other half is in the helmet chinstrap. The liner webbing is used and abused and everything fits one to the other in that look of use and abuse being done in situ. The paint is WW2 era and covers the rigger modifications on the outside. The A washers are all black. The sweatband clips are all black. The webbing has what look to be two stamps. One could be a PW ink stamp and the other might be a name. The nape strap is adjustable. All of this looks to me as if it has been together a very long time. Your opinions please.

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A better shot of the webbing marks

[manayunkman]

Looks like a nice post war set.

 

Identified too.

[P-59A]

So in looking for information on lot numbers I found on this forum that 1300 is recognized as the cut off number for WW2 issued and used McCord helmets. Factor in the cork paint, chin strap and paint color and that makes this is a as made WW2 era helmet. True this is most probably a post war used helmet as indicated by the RA s/n in the lid, just WW2 production. I need to figure out what is inked on the webbing.

[P-59A]

OK, So the writing to the right of the s/n reads in part "HQ B" and what looks like "...try"

[sgtdorango]

Nice late ww2 made but used post war M1C!...maybe the mystery word is battery?..-'as in artillery?....mike

[huntssurplus]

Definitely a post-war used helmet. I'm guessing the letters/numbers after the service number are definitely the unit of the soldier. Can't really see in the pictures what it might be would need better pictures to help identify. 

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4 hours ago, huntssurplus said:

Definitely a post-war used helmet. I'm guessing the letters/numbers after the service number are definitely the unit of the soldier. Can't really see in the pictures what it might be would need better pictures to help identify. 

The second photo from the top is as good as it gets.  His writing on this is hard to read.

[P-59A]

9 hours ago, sgtdorango said:

Nice late ww2 made but used post war M1C!...maybe the mystery word is battery?..-'as in artillery?....mike

I was looking on line for wording and battery and artillery are the two I found, but not in relations to HQ. I have no idea what the command structure of HQ is.

[P-59A]

I sponge dabbed the webbing and found what looks like a partial laundry number "-8456" or "-8450" I still can't make out the letter just yet. So it looks like this liner was used by another person at some point in time.

[P-59A]

The name to the left looks to be Nora or Dora and the numbers could also be --55.

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I have been doing some qtip cleaning and it turns out the sweatband clips are green, not black.

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Aznation came through with some big info!    

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As best I can tell the 187th was the only AB operational during the Korean War.    

With the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, the 187th, now a parachute unit, was called up for duty. Under the command of COL Frank S. Bowen, the 187th was paired up with the 674th Field Artillery Battalion and supporting units to form the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team (RCT).

The RCT left Camp Stoneman, CA, on 6 September 1950 and arrived in Japan on 20 September. Four days later, it was airlifted to Kimpo Airfield near Seoul, where it successfully cleared the Kimpo Peninsula.

From Kimpo, the 187th made an airborne assault at Sunchon-Sukchon, thirty miles north of Pyongyang, to cut off an estimated 30,000 retreating North Korean soldiers and rescue U.S. POWs believed to be with those forces. The drop included a number of firsts, including the first combat drop from C-119s and the first successful heavy drop of 105mm howitzers, jeeps and other equipment. During the Eighth Army’s retreat after the Chinese intervened, the 187th and the British Commonwealth Brigade served as the Eighth Army’s rearguard.

Throughout the rest of the Korean War, the 187th saw heavy fighting, particularly at Wonju in February 1951. In March 1951, the RCT made another airborne assault at Munsan-ni. In 1952, the 187th was withdrawn to Japan as part of the U.S. Far East Command reserve. Troops of the 187th later helped subdue POW camp riots in June 1952. For its service in Korea, the Rakkasans were awarded four unit citations, and three soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor. In total, the 187th suffered 2,115 casualties in Korea, including 442 killed in action.

[P-59A]

More info..............1 August 1950, Col. Frank Bowen Jr. faced the his men of the 187th Regiment in Theater Number Three and announced that the troops were slated for movement overseas. On 27 August, they became the 187th Regimental Combat Team along with the 674th Airborne Field Artillery Battalion, A Company of the 127th Airborne Engineer Battalion, Battery A of the 88th Airborne Antiaircraft Battalion and units of MPs, quartermasters, parachute maintenance riggers and medics. 1 September they were separated from the 11th Airborne Division. The 187th RCT “Rakkasans” were being sent to Korea and we will follow them in future posts...... So it looks like Able would have been a part of the 674th Airborne field Artillery Battalion based on what is written in the helmet. Based on his enlistment he would have been a replacement trooper. That would explain why his helmet was WW2 reissued without the repaint or the painted side panels.

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These are the guys that were in early. Note the painted helmets and how many guys have cloth holding their helmets on.

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Later on it looks like the painted helmets were out of vouge and the helmets were better.

[P-59A]

Link to 187th in Korean war U.S. Government records. https://www.koreanwar2.org/kwp2/ftbenning/ds21_i23.pdf

[sgtdorango]

I will check my 674th yearbooks for him .....mike

[P-59A]

Mike, That would be great!  Thanks! I was told by the guy I got this from that it came out of a storage locker by someone else back east. The uniform and other stuff was sold off.