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If You Were to Buy One Helmet Book?


BryanJ
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I thought I was too old to get interested in a new area of militaria collecting, but a couple of helmet purchases proved that not to be the case.  With Christmas coming up, if you were to purchase one reference book to cover just M1/M2 & M-1C’s, what would would it be?

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If you can only have one....  go with,

The M-1 Helmet: A History of the U.S. M-1 Helmet in World War II (Schiffer Military History) Hardcover – August 1, 1996 by Mark A. Reynosa

 

Oosterman's book is excellent and the photography is superb, however minus the fantastic visuals it only has a "Cliff Notes" version in text explaining the helmets history. 

 

If you are only after a visual guide that can show you variations of the M-1 that can be collected Oosterman would be a great choice. If you want a solid history supported by bibliography, Reynosa is still the best option, and in my opinion, the first book a new M-1 helmet collector should own.

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Thanks guys.  Do either of the books continue with the modifications to the M1 through the end of their use in the mid-80’s?

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I don't think Oosterman's book even goes as far as swivel loop helmets, and it's often very difficult to tell where the information is coming from in the absence of a bibliography.  It's got tons of good photos of the different variations in M1 helmet and liner components.

 

Helmets of the ETO has good photos and covers helmet components up through the end of WWII. 

 

Reynosa has three books that cover M1 helmets from all eras, and you could probably pick them all up for the price of Oosterman's.  The photos aren't as good as you'll find in more modern books, but he did the extensive primary source research that gets referenced in them.

 

Steel Pots is fine, but it doesn't cover a lot of ground that Reynosa didn't, at least as far as M1 helmets go.

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16 minutes ago, aef1917 said:

...Reynosa has three books that cover M1 helmets from all eras, and you could probably pick them all up for the price of Oosterman's.  The photos aren't as good as you'll find in more modern books, but he did the extensive primary source research that gets referenced in them...

 

I'd have to agree with Ian here. If you want flash and cool pictures, you can get any one of the other books but, if you want the most comprehensive material, get Reynosa's books.

 

Here's a link to all the reference books available: 

 

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Thanks so much.  This past week, I picked up an M-1C on eBay, FS/SB that was advertised as a 60’s rebuild.  It looked like the helmet I remembered from Airborne School in 1979, which was why I was interested in that particular helmet.  The winning bid price was relatively low, and the auction ended during game one of the World Series, not sure if that had any impact on last few minutes of auction or not.  But, in looking at the posted photos and spending all weekend reading every related post on this forum, I think I did OK, but I’ll post photos when it arrives and ask opinions from you guys.  I have a complete library of reference books on weapons of WWII, but these helmets have really sparked my interest lately, so I know it’s time to invest in some books before I drop any more $$.  I want a legit WWII paratrooper helmet at some point and I know that’s going to take my lunch money.  Thanks again.

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