Late WW2 US M1 Helmet ?

[roajeep]

I have an M1 helmet which I am sure is the late WW2 type.

The stainless steel rim (paint comes off easily and it is shiny metal) has the seam at the rear and several spot welds holding it in place.
Postwar/Modern helmets do not seem to have these visible spot welds.

It has the cork mix in the paint where it has not been rubbed off.

It has hinged bales / strap loops not fixed.

However the little hinged bracket which holds the bales to the shell has the middle of the three flaps on the outside (in towards the head) whereas in the books I have and webpages I have seen the middle flap is tucked behind the outer two.
Hope you understand what I mean. I can post a photo but no time just at the moment.

So the bale hinge here is obviously old but its fashion is the same as postwar and modern hinges.

I sanded down the inside of the shell at the front above the brim but found no pressing numbers.
Where else could they be, if indeed anywhere on a late model M1 ?

Hope someone can help me confirm it is WW2 and even better if I can identify the maker.


Thanks.


DavidH

[Rescue190]

Pictures would be required to definitively answer your questions. There were some rear seem helmets issued in WWII but the vast majority are post war. There should be a heat lot stamped into the rim that would also help date your pot.
John

[Tank Destroyer]

As John said pictures are needed and David welcome to the forum.
Marty

[roajeep]

Here are a couple of photos. I cleaned up more of the inside. There were several layers of paint so the helmet must be quite old.


You can see that the centre tab of the bale hinge is the front one of the three tabs, not tucked behind as in other photos I have seen of late rear-seam helmets.

Also I see that the angle of the brim at the front is steeper and not so much duckbill like the earlier ww2 with front seam.

It might be post-war but it is definitely old and not modern NATO.
I have some newer helmets e Norwegian Army and these do not have the spot welds holding the rim in place.

Luckily I also have a couple of genuine earlier front-seam helmets, but it wld be nice to clarify this one here.

So thanks to anyone who can assist.

DavidH

[christek]

I sanded down the inside of the shell at the front above the brim but found no pressing numbers.
Where else could they be, if indeed anywhere on a late model M1 ?

DavidH

Check the rear, around the seam. There may be a four digit number. Parish Division of the Dana Corporation batch number could be at the rear. This would make it a 1960's shell though. I have heard of post war shells having the SS rim but very uncommon.

I'm getting a bit rusty with M1's. Are we sure that is cork and not sand finish?

I can see what you mean about the bale set-up. I have handled many US M1's and have not seen a configuration such as this. There are many here who know more than me, hopefully someone can solve this.
Cheers

[BlackCat1982]

I agree the bale is not tucked behind the soldered fitting, which is odd. Perhaps the strap ring was missing and someone has tried to repair/replace it by straightening the bale out and then bending it back over - but it is not correct now. The absence of heat stamp does not make it necessarily post war, but has the OD been repainted at some time?

[roajeep]

Definitely no stamp inside at the rear of the helmet so I think I'll have to admit no proff it is WW2 vintage, but it does have a nice used look so I can use it for show and not risk someone nicking one of my definite WW2 models.
Also have a German helmet shell with some numbers inside so when I get round to taking some pics I'll post a message on the German helmet forum.

DavidH

[Jb4046]

If there is many layers of paint. The heat number most likely is hidden underneath them and could still be hidden after sanding maybe. Use some acetone (nail polish remover) to remove some paint and try find it. I wouldn’t recommended this if you want to keep the helmet in the shape its in

[roajeep]

By the way, just now I found an old posting and some pics from Mountaineer and his Westinghouse M-1 rear seam which looks to be identical with mine. I dropped him some questions so I hope he answers and will be interesting to find out more.
The hunt continues.

DavidH

[christek]

Hello David. WWII era manufacturing of the shells was done by the McCord Radiator Company and Schlueter Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse only produced the liners. Cheers