Condemned Helmet ?

[GUMP]

I plucked this interesting helmet out of the Virginia woodwork last week. It is absolutely original "as is" - with unusual red stripe painted across the dome and a circular hole punched through the rim.  A local friend of mine suggested that this was a "condemned helmet" - a piece that did not meet military specifications and was therefore appropriately and conspicuously marked, so as to prevent its distribution to front-line combat troops. That sounds feasible to me, but is it a correct interpretation?  I would appreciate your comments.  :)

[aef1917]

That's what it is.

[GUMP]

I wonder what is wrong with it?  I don't notice any difference in size, shape or weight compared to a normal "Doughboy" helmet.

[Bodes]

Seems it would have been checked and rejected prior to having it painted and a liner and chinstrap put in it....What about to denote for training purposes only?....Bodes

[Pepper]

Helmets pulled from a finished lot for ballistic testing most likely failed the test. This would have caused every helmet from that given lot to be rejected. As your friend eluded to, Helmets were in short supply going first to units headed to Europe. Helmets were needed domestically for activities like marksmanship and gas mask training which is difficult to prepare for if you don't have a helmet during the training but will once you get overseas. These rejected lots were marked in a way they could not be confused with a satisfactory helmet even if overpainted, hence the punch in the rim. Post war you will find many of the ballistic failure helmets overpainted for Civil Defense and Police use.

[zippo88]

On 10/12/2021 at 8:11 PM, GUMP said:

I wonder what is wrong with it?  I don't notice any difference in size, shape or weight compared to a normal "Doughboy" helmet.

 

They would actually test the hardness and elasticity of the steel. In more primitive form, but they did.  Heat treating issues generally was the main reason why a batch of helmets would be rejected 

[GUMP]

Now for sale here:

 

Two Very Different Brodies... - FS Helmets & Accessories - U.S. Militaria Forum (usmilitariaforum.com)