Named Experimental U.S. Model 5 Helmet

**reneblacky** · 08-31-2020, 04:51 AM

Nice find I must type,
Bunker, take helmet with! sounds like an ambush/kidnapping on the cards!! watch out he has guns that haven't seen the light of day in five years!!! Itchy!!!

We should make a vote on the ugly helmet as this one is one!

**MilitariaOne** · 08-31-2020, 02:28 PM

Greetings,

Your Soldier's name is 1LT Lewis E. Helvern, 1892-1974. He's from Beattie, Kansas. His unit was F. Company, 511th Supply Train, 86th Division.

No need for thanks, just consider becoming a paying member of this forum

Best,

V/r Lance

His Draft Card

His ship's manifest to France

His ship's manifest back from France

Several Newspaper articles referencing his marriage (before deployment to France) and his service

His obituary

His Kansas State Veteran Benefits Form

And best of all for last, his 1915 College Year Book Picture

**Narcis** · 08-31-2020, 04:04 PM

Hi,
Inspired from Swiss M1918??

**Politefaun** · 08-31-2020, 04:30 PM

by Narcis

Hi,
Inspired from Swiss M1918??

From what I read the creator of this helmet and the other American experimental helmets Dr. Bashford Dean had a friend in Switzerland that was also working on or at least had some influence on the swiss M18, but Dr. Bashford Dean told the government that he never revealed to any other nation what he was working on as that could land him in jail for divulging militarily technology. While the two look very similar the Germans were actually able to successfully sue the swiss government since it infringed on their helmet design the M16 though they didn't get a lot of money out of it.

**Politefaun** · 08-31-2020, 04:49 PM

Thank you for all the information MilitariaOne! I was doing some searching last night but it looks like I was looking in the wrong place, as I kept looking for his name in the 83rd division as one of the other model 5s I found online had that insignia scratched into it. That's an amazing amount of info you found on him it looks like he was a local "celebrity" based on all those articles written about him.