Just got this 82nd Airborne Helmet - Real or not?

[deltaspecialforce]

Hey folks. My parents just got me this helmet for my birthday. Really cool gift. Everything feels good about it, but they got it for about $125. Seems pretty low if it's authentic. What do you all think? I sure like it.

[Walkwolf]

It is a helmet liner. You will need to find a steel helmet to go over it,
and a leather headband which clips onto the inside webbing.

I'm not 100% sure, but the decal and paint are likely from late
1950's to sometime in the 1960's. $125 is rather a lot for
a liner alone IMO, but it's a very nice gift.........!


Happy Birthday !

[deltaspecialforce]

Wow. Thanks for the info. Very disappointing to hear that, though. I was confused because the decals made me think that it was the outer part of the helmet. Too bad. Would you mind showing me an example of the liner inside of the steel helmet? How much would I expect to spend on the helmet? Thanks!

[Walkwolf]

They wore the inner liner by itself on Parade and in locations where
a steel pot would not have to be worn.

A leather headband should only be a few bucks, but if you want
a good WWII shell, it will cost about $50 to $100 and up.

I could live with a later type though.........



A couple of links:

M1 Helmet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

M-1 Steel Helmet

US M1 steel helmet forum

[Walkwolf]

I have a helmet liner that has two decals: one is for the 92nd ( Buffalo
Soldiers ) Inf Div. and the other is for the 98th ( Iroquois ) - which
is an Army Reserve Training Division with headquarters in
Rochester New York..........

[deltaspecialforce]

That's great info. Does it matter front or rear seam? Does the band have to be leather? I want to buy the right steel helmet that would have been used with this liner.

[Walkwolf]

Have a read of the links I put on post #4, and you will learn
which type is correct.........!

Don't be too hasty. Be patient, save your money and
then buy one that is in the best condition possible !

[deltaspecialforce]

Great! I missed those links the first time I read your post. Thanks for providing those.

[Franz1944]

I agree with you wolf post war

[kenbent]

I agree, the modification is post war, but the liner itself is a war time liner.

Probably a Westinghouse liner?

After the war, these regular infantry liners were converted into parachutist liners using A-yokes which were riveted onto the liner instead of putting them under the webbing which you see in war time liners.

Still a nice liner and I'm confident the 82nd decal is a good one.

So you have war time manufactured infantry liner, probably made by Westinghouse (look in the crown of the helmet liner, you should see a W in a circle) which was 'rigger modified' after the war to be used by paratroopers. Post war parachutist liners tend to have smaller buckles in brass, and have the A-yokes riveted to the helmet liner seperately most of the time.

Under the black paint there should still be the original, war time green color.. It was common to repaint these after the war.

Nice liner.

Cheers