Can anyone identify this U.S M1 variant?

[Sykes27f]

Hi all!

Recently acquired this M1 variant (along with the veteran who brought it home's Royal Melbourne Regimental battledress), and despite spending hours scrolling through what are commendably detailed forum posts, links to external sites and sticky's, I am still uncertain as to the exact type of M1 this is.

The liner is plainly post-war: No front vent and stamped US 5 M11 in the crown, and yet it has a pale olive herringbone suspension (No nape strap)! The liner chin strap is doubly odd - it appears to be made of an elasticated Olive drab which pins into place on the two little lugs that WW2 liner straps clip on to.

Other inconsistencies include a seemingly WW2 period shell complete with front-seam, cork texture and swivel bales, but an olive-drab chin strap. The heat stamp reads 45A in large stamp.

The helmet is in as near to pristine condition as I have ever seen, and was picked up by a now-deceased family friend who served in both the Second World War (as an aerial observer) and later the Korean War as an Australian Infantryman, though exact details are unobtainable. I have included a photo of his battledress and insignia - in case this helps shed any more light on the inquiry. Helmet was very likely a souvenir of some sort - but from which conflict? It is an enigma to me, and any educated suggestions would be greatly appreciated gents.

I am, as ever, indebted to those on this forum who have helped me, and I thank you all in advance for your assistance!

[Ubique]

No help with the helmet, but that battledress is an absolute corker!
Her are my RAE ones.




Oz.

[Redstalker]

Hi Sykes I am almost sure you have a schleuter helmet and not a McCord in your possession, please have a closer look at the under side by the front seam for the letter S stamp. The liner for this lid looks very wrong to me and I would look at trying to get a good ww2 liner to compliment your M1

[plumbob]

I agree with Redstalker about the pot look for a "S" and will add that I think a digit may be missing from the heat stamp as this would be a later war pot due to the OD7 straps and swivel bales, although there is no heat stamp table for schleuter I would imagine a low heat stamp number would have fixed bales . As for the liner, I've never seen that type of webbing or sweatband in a US liner, perhaps re webbed by another country?
nice pot, but a strange liner.
regards
Rod

[Sykes27f]

Hi Oz,

Thank you very much, she sure is in great condition; probably only worn on a a handful of Regimental parades by the look of it, if not an entirely unworn spare. As smart as she is this sort of item is not really my 'cuppa tea' as I'm collecting Third Reich and U.S Headgear and uniform items at the moment. In fact I'll shortly be putting her up for sale on this forum's classifieds and elsewhere online. Let me know of you would like to take her off my hands - she deserves to go to a good home!

All the best!

[Sykes27f]

Thanks for the input gents,

On yet further inspection there DOES INDEED appear to be a large S stamp a little beneath the other digits! It is incredibly faint though - I had to shine a 20million candlepower Maglite on the paintwork to see it! So does this make it a re-painted/finished and re-chinstrapped Schleuter? I'm still not very much in love with it - I will look to sell it probably.
I agree that the liner is odd. Compared to one of the firestones in my collection the suspension harness is very flimsy, and the liner shell feels very lightweight and supple.

Thank you for the pointers, any further info on the basis of that revealed 'S' stamp would be greatly appreciated!

[Sykes27f]

I should have fleshed the provenance of these items out a little, but sadly I cannot. The helmet and battledress tunic were unearthed by an old family acquaintance whose second husband it belonged to, and who knew that I too had served in the military so might like to preserve it. I also received a chromed type 30 Japanese bayonet (see current classifieds). He never really spoke of his wartime service to his wife (or me for that matter) and so the link is somewhat broken - sad when that happens.

Thanks again for all the input!

[Ubique]

Sykes, PM me when you are ready to sell. I'm normally RAE but may consider yours too.

Cheers,
Oz.

[Sykes27f]

After reading my thread posts back I realise that my lamenting the loss of individual service histories in the same breath as stating my intention to profit from the artefacts themselves may sound a shade hypocritical if not downright cynical - So I would just like to qualify that by adding that I'm only selling to expand my particular area of interest (Third reich and U.S) and that I'll be selling through this and other forums where I can at least be confident that it is a fellow 'custodian of history' to whom the torch will be passed.
On that note: Ubique I'll send you some more detailed photos so do check your inbox!

[Ubique]

Sometimes good military items 'fall into our lap' and since they are not part of our theme it is natural to want to pass them on in a way that is advantageous to our theme. No harm in that, that is how most collectors operate. It has happened to me too.

Oz.