Are you guys familliar with red m1 pot helmets?

WWII collector · 05-31-2010, 01:05 AM

i found one on eBay. heres its link:

WW2 WWII U.S. ARMY FIXED BALE BAIL STEEL HELMET POT N R - eBay (item 250638260564 end time May-30-10 19:27:08 PDT)

any help would be appreciated.

**Rommel1942** · 05-31-2010, 01:08 AM

It looks real, but the red paint...i'm not too sure about that. mabye post-war??
If anyone else knows something, i would be interested

WWII collector · 05-31-2010, 01:10 AM

i thought it was a training or a fire helmet at first...

**Rommel1942** · 05-31-2010, 01:11 AM

It could be, i'mjust not familiar with red helmets...

WWII collector · 05-31-2010, 01:13 AM

by Rommel1942

It could be, i'mjust not familiar with red helmets...

same here...

**Walkwolf** · 05-31-2010, 01:18 AM

I think it was a damn nice helmet before it was ruined ...............

!

WWII collector · 05-31-2010, 01:20 AM

in my collection i have a red brodie helmet that was found in a test ground bunker.

**Walkwolf** · 05-31-2010, 01:44 AM

The above lid was not originally red but done after the fact, and just more than likely,
randomly selected to be painted. If it were left in it's original state
I would have a lot more interest in it.

It looks as though, someone named 'Hanley' - quite possibly of the 41st Infantry Division
once owned this helmet. ( Pre red paint)

**emileverbunt** · 05-31-2010, 01:17 PM

This is most likely a US Navy helmet. Used by repair parties aboard naval vessels.

The colour seems correct and original to me. A good USN helmet, not ruined at all!

Cheers,
Emile

**jagdhorn** · 05-31-2010, 01:39 PM

I agree- this looks an awful lot the typical Ww2 and much later Damage control painted helmet. I fear somepeople forget that hte navy was issued stuff and marked and painted it much differently than the army did. However, since they would have come on the ship in OD green, the navy would repaint as needed. They needed paint frequently as on one destroyer I was on, the helmets would be stored verticlely in a long semi open tube. They were covered in paint, layer after layer. Not fake, not wrong, just an attempt to keep protective gear in good repair.

There were other colours used, but I have forgotten them! In todays US fire service helmet color is still a fast and efficent way of IDing rank, and function of the men and women under the helmets

I think this is a a great helmet, that may have been an army helmet in WW2, and then the navy used it afterwards, (Korea??) It may have even been taken by the navy from the wounded army soldiers brought about, and reissied.