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Letters & Numbers stamped into underside WWI helmets


suwanneetrader
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suwanneetrader

I'm not sure this is where I should ask this question. Is there a ref. of the letters and numbers that are stamped into the underside of 1917 and 1917A1 US helmets? If there is, were any of the Mfg. Codes of a production run issued only to the Marine Corps ? I have wondered this for sometime and have not been able to find out. If answer is known I'm sure it is on this forum. Thankyou Richard :think:

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While the codes were stamped by the various manufacturers, I don't think there is anything about the codes that is specific to particular manufacturers.

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Richard

 

I dont believe any of the batch or lot numbers have specific ties to the Marine corps or Army in general.One thing I have noticed with several WW1 2nd Division army helmets and Marine helmets I have handled they tend to be the Brodie pattern having the split rivit(s)that hold on the chin strap wire bail.

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Richard

 

I dont believe any of the batch or lot numbers have specific ties to the Marine corps or Army in general.One thing I have noticed with several WW1 2nd Division army helmets and Marine helmets I have handled ...they tend to be the Brodie pattern having the split rivit(s)that hold on the chin strap wire bail.

This would make sense since these split rivet helmets would have been the earlier issued ones to the first U.S. troops involved in WWI like the 2nd Division Army and Marines. These filled the gap until the U.S. manufacturers got production going on our version of the Brodie incorporating the solid rivet.

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One thing I have noticed with several WW1 2nd Division army helmets and Marine helmets I have handled they tend to be the Brodie pattern

 

There is definitely a correlation with certain divisions and Mk. I vs. m1917 helmets, and the 2nd Division does tend to come down on the Mk. I side. It's not iron-clad though. One of the strongest correlations I've seen is the 26th Division and Mk. I helmets, but I recently acquired a 102nd Infantry-marked m1917 helmet.

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I've got two books by Reynosa on M-1 helmets, is there anything like them on WWI US helmets?

 

There hasn't been a comprehensive reference on WWI US helmets yet. Reynosa's "U.S. Combat Helmets of the 20th Century" has a section on the m1917, and Armold's "Steel Pots" does as well. Both rely on a nearly identical, very limited set of references, so there is much more to be learned about them.

 

If you're interested in seeing something along those lines, perhaps an email to Schiffer Books would be in order. ;)

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