M1 Swievel bail Front seam maybe US Navy

[Bavarian]

Hello guys
Ice picked up this wonderful M1 helmet together with one of the 3rd infantery division
The shell is a Mccord Frontseam Swievel bail with complete webbingstrap
The colour is my mainquestion
It seem battleshipgrey but I was not shure
It have a very high heatnumber 1071G
Is it a original USN helmet or a postwar used example
It was very bad overpainted
BR
Bavarian

[Rescue190]

I am not sure if anyone will ever know when it was over painted. Nice WWII era pot.
John

[Bavarian]

Thanks for the comment
I want to know it before I remove it
The colour seem to be battleshipgrey and I saw them on different other M1 helmets here on the forum
I know too that the US-Navy were not the best sprayers
Best regards
Bavarian

[BlackCat1982]

From the pictures I am not sure there is much corking texture or original OD under that grey paint. I'm not sure I would remove it as you might be left with a plain steel and minimal OD.

[Kohima]

It appears to be extremely thick paint, which I would imagine has covered an awful lot of the texture!
As Blackcat (typically) very wisely says, I would keep it exactly as it is. There is no way to tell precisely when it was painted (and Navy helmets do tend to be heavily brush painted, rather than sprayed), but it has honesty and history as it stands.

Nice find,
Bob

[Bavarian]

Thanks for the comments
The OD seems underneath
BR
Bavarian

[Kohima]

That’s fine. Leave it there.

This has history and historical value as it is - as a US Navy helmet.

[Bavarian]

I never destroy this helmet
BR
Bavarian