My grandfathers M1 helmet

**Ethan** · 09-02-2018, 02:48 AM

by buellmeister

All of these stories strike close to home. My Father had mentioned that while he was growing up he members his grandmother selling two civil war era swords that were in her attic to a junk man rumbling through the area for a presumed pennies on the dollar.

Man... thats real unfortunate...

**MedicalAmmunitionCrate** · 09-02-2018, 03:24 AM

Lucky bugger.. Got stuff from your ancestor's service. All of my Great Great Uncle's belongings are with a relative in mainland Canada who apparently does not care much for it and is leaving it to collect dust.. His Victory Medal, bubble photograph of him, and I think even his letters! (All Newfoundland Regiment..) Maybe I can contact him and have it mailed back to it's home.. Anyways, value those things your grandfather had brought back. I'd be over the moon if I had a belonging of one of my ancestors who fought in any conflict at all.

**christek** · 09-02-2018, 03:51 AM

Hi Jarret,

I'm sorry to have to point this out but that M1 liner could not have been used by your Grandfather during WWII. It is 1960's era transitional example.

It would have once looked like this one here. Note the hardware holding the nape strap.

**TWS** · 09-02-2018, 04:04 AM

The first original German WWII helmet I ever encountered was because we were playing "Army" and we took turns wearing it during our mock battles. We were just kids and had no idea it was valuable .

The first Stahlhelm I ever held.

**denfly** · 09-08-2018, 03:13 AM

Good eye christek. I thought those straps looked green but then I figured it could be a Korean War era liner. Yup, that's a Vietnam era liner. Getting back to estate sales, my peeve is seeing ebay sellers taking a M1 WW2 helmet apart and selling it in pieces. Helmets like that have been together for over 70 years only to be made for a quick dollar by selling the liner, shell, headband and leather chinstrap separately.

**Jetthead** · 09-08-2018, 03:55 AM

To light a piece of history on fire is totally uncalled for!

**Ethan** · 09-11-2018, 01:27 AM

by Jetthead

To light a piece of history on fire is totally uncalled for!

Agreed, sometimes there are some individuals who don't understand the significance of militaria (*cough, cough, Gray, cough, cough*) which is very unfortunate.

Bye the way: Gray is NOT a member of this forum, he is my brother who does not appreciate militaria. (Just wanted to point that out so that no one thought I was accusing anyone on the forum.)

**christek** · 09-11-2018, 10:14 AM

For the purposes of education, I must add that based on these photos and chancing being labelled a negative precisionist; there is not much here that screams WW2 use. The shell is undoubtedly a 1943-45 era manufactured shell but it has been repainted at least once with a very thick OD paint. This is commonly seen on post WWII employment of such shells in conflicts such as Korea and Vietnam. Chin straps are missing completely and due to the complete lack of paint on the bales I would suggest they last had metal strap hardware on them and not sewn-on WWII straps. The 1960’s liner, if an original consolidation to the shell is the clincher, and in no way could be from the era. I would also suggest that if indeed the helmet was victim to a fire that was so severe it could completely destroy the webbing, how did the fibre liner escape melting or burn marks so completely? I’m certainly not suggesting the OP is bending the truth he has been disclosed but I am asking how in such a learned forum, am I the only member to point out such salient inconsistencies?