Vietnam-era Helmet in Goodwill Bundle

[Pro Libertate]

I recently purchased this lot from Goodwill for $34. In my ignorance, I thought perhaps it might be Korean War, as it included a variety of patches, ribbons, and other items from that era. There were no close ups of the inside of the helmet or the chinstraps, so I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting.

 

Anyway, I received the helmet yesterday, and it looks as though it may be Vietnam-era. I've just entered my foray into M1 helmets, so I'm not entirely certain... can someone with more knowledge confirm this? There's a heat stamp of "7371"; is it possible to determine approximate date of manafacture with this info? I'd also be curious to know whether these late chinstraps are correct for this helmet.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Justin]

I believe this is a R.J stampings helmet, most likely from the mid to late 70s. The chinstraps are most likely the original straps. They are correct for the era. 

 

Justin 

[The Rooster]

Did those clip on straps come out at the very end of the war or after?

[Pro Libertate]

37 minutes ago, The Rooster said:

Did those clip on straps come out at the very end of the war or after?

 

From what I've gathered, these (the last issue chin strap for the M1) were introduced in FM 21-15 by 1972 .

[The Rooster]

14 minutes ago, Pro Libertate said:

 

From what I've gathered, these (the last issue chin strap for the M1) were introduced in FM 21-15 by 1972 .

I did not know that. Thank you !

[Pro Libertate]

1 hour ago, Justin said:

I believe this is a R.J stampings helmet, most likely from the mid to late 70s. The chinstraps are most likely the original straps. They are correct for the era. 

 

Justin 

 

Thanks for chiming in, Justin! Weren't RJ Stampings the only post-war helmets to have stainless steel rims though? I don't know if this is significant or not, but there's a couple areas on the rim where the finish has been abraded and there's rust beneath; I wouldnt expect quality stainless to corrode in this fashion, would you?

[Pro Libertate]

20 minutes ago, The Rooster said:

I did not know that. Thank you !

 

Certainly! You're welcome.

[Pro Libertate]

Well, I've been looking at numerous RJ Stampings helmets over the last hour, and I couldn't seem to find any in which the number "3" quite matched the font of my helmet. See how it has that gentle curve?

 

I stumbled across this old thread in which user "Theriddler" displayed some rubbings of various heat stamps. The "3" on mine looks awfully similar to that shown in the second rubbing (attributed to the Parish Div. of Dana)... wouldn't you agree? 

 

 

 

 

[Pro Libertate]

Here's one more comparison of rubbings between Parish and RJ Stampings I found on yet another thread. Is it safe to say we've found our maker, or are there later examples of RJ Stampings that have a similar font?

[Pro Libertate]

I'm sorry... I don't mean to inundate you with more info, but the more I discover, the more confused I become. Although the font seems to be consistent with a Parish, the center "tongue" on the bail/eyelet holder is actually longer than those on either side of it. I read in another forum where the poster's Parish helmet had eyelet holders with a rounded middle tongue that is slightly shorter than the others. It's hard to say whether this is typical of ALL Parish helmets, or just this individual's examples.

 

Below is a photo of the inside of my helmet with text overlay demonstrating the approximate size and location of the heat stamp. It's actually inverted (as shown), and is quite a bit smaller than the stamp on my WW2 McCord.

[CavalryCombatant]

Not positive on who made your helmet as I it’s out of my usual realm, but RJ stampings definitely did use manganese rims as well.  Only their early batch used stainless steel and those were leftover from WWII U.S. Army stocks.

 

CC

[Pro Libertate]

Thanks for the info! I sure appreciate it.

 

I'm really leaning towards this helmet being a Parish (based upon the size, style, and orientation of the heat stamp), but I'm far from certain.

[twthmoses]

On 12/17/2021 at 4:28 PM, Pro Libertate said:

Thanks for the info! I sure appreciate it.

 

I'm really leaning towards this helmet being a Parish (based upon the size, style, and orientation of the heat stamp), but I'm far from certain.

This is a Parish Division of the Dana Corporation shell. Easy seen by the curving numbers of the lot stamp, especially numbers 3-5-6 and 9. Parish also have a more or less, unique number four. In your case, only the three can be seen.

 

Parish produced 1,862,180 helmets in two contracts. October 1968 with 320.040 helmets and August 1969 with 1.542.140 helmets. They finished their second contract in July 1970. They lost a bit for a third contract to Canadian R.J Stampings (Canada) Ltd in April 1970. Parish bit $3.99 for a helmet, R. J. Stampings $3.65.

 

On a little side note, I can tell that the shells of Parish Division of the Dana Corporation was produced at the Trenton Auto frame plant in Detroit. In April 1970 755 people worked at that plant, 100 of them on the Helmet contract. The United Auto Workers Union (UAW) was so enraged over the loss of the contract, that they wrote letters not only to the Michigan Congressional delegation but also to President Richard Nixon, demanding that American soldiers use only US-made equipment. As they wrote “We lost the contract to a country that harbors our boys who refuse to serve their country in time of need, and a country that will not support us in Vietnam”. Well R. J. Stampings got the contract, and an additional 5 more.

[Pro Libertate]

That's an awesome bit of history-- thanks so much for sharing! I was sincerely hoping this was a Vietnam-era helmet, and I guess that cinches it. 

 

I've since installed a rugged-looking ERDL cover, camouflage band (cat eyes have been removed), and liner; these are 1980's manafacture, but the price was right and they look the part.