Fixed bail modification

[ccmax]

I recently came across a lot of fixed bail shells and many had had their loops modified (in Europe) to a C shape. 

 

Anyone seen anything like this? These particular helmets were used by the US Army and then passed to the French in WW2.

[Burning Hazard]

I saw the same modification on WW2 US fixed bail shells used by Spain after the war. I believe they are just crude repairs as none of them were consistent. Maybe also enlarged so that their buckles would fit through?

 

Pat 

[ccmax]

Don't know how their chinstraps were, maybe they used press snaps instead of bar tacking. Thanks for the input.

[elh1311]

 Looks almost like the experimental M2 fix they did at Fort Benning, where they used mess kit rings to make a crude swivel bail in place of the D-bail!

 

[Bugme]

On 2/10/2022 at 2:12 PM, ccmax said:

Don't know how their chinstraps were, maybe they used press snaps instead of bar tacking. Thanks for the input.

 

Very possible it was for the snaps Cesar but, could have also been done to give the chin straps a bit more flexibility to canter or angle forward. Just a thought. I also think many of these repairs/modifications have been misidentified as A/B. 😯

 

There, I went and did it,  I just opened a can of worms.

[BOLO]

I remember seeing a surplus BELGIAN M1 helmet using a US WW2 M1 shell with crude repairs like that at the antique fair , it had the Belgian flag decal and clip on chin straps.

[ccmax]

Yes. Many of the shells are early, are within the M2 range and have the dimples. With the crude repairs, covering the spot welds of the fixed bails, they can easily be mistaken for M2s.

[GLCC74]

I have also seen the fixed bales had a lot of field made repairs which often looked crude. I don't think this was intentional, just expedient. I have also seen ones where the weld went through the outside of the helmet.