Military Antiques Stockholm - Top
Display your banner here
Results 1 to 3 of 3

There are no Korean War American M1 helmets!

Article about: Well… not entirely true, but close! What I mean is that there are few (if any) American produced M1 helmet that made it into the Korean War. Sort of like when we talk about 1200+ McCord lo

  1. #1

    Default There are no Korean War American M1 helmets!

    Well… not entirely true, but close! What I mean is that there are few (if any) American produced M1 helmet that made it into the Korean War. Sort of like when we talk about 1200+ McCord lot number making it into WW2 combat, European or Pacific theater.

    McCord Corp. (McCord Radiator and Manufacturing Company chanced name to McCord Corporation in 1945) did not produced any M1 helmet during the Korean War, but Motor Wheel Corp. did. And no, Motor Wheel was not a sub-contractor to McCord, as is quite often repeated around the internet.

    Motor Wheel got a one mill$ contract in February 1952 for M1 helmet, at the same time getting a one mill$ contract for 60mm mortar shell casings. The shell casings was produced at Motor Wheels Automotive Division plant No. 2 (N. Larch St., Lansing) from May 1952, while the M1 helmets was produced at the Duo-Therm division plant No. 4 (S. Washington – Mt. Hope Aves., Lansing) from early September 1952. The delay from contact to helmets rolling off the assembling line at the Duo-Therm plant, was a 250.000$ retooling of the plant for this contract. This Helmet contract for the Duo-Therm Division plant was the first time since WW2 the plant was producing defense material.

    How many M1 helmets did Motor Wheel Corp. manufacture? Now that is a good question. The price of a M1 helmet in 1943 is about 3.03$, little earlier about 2.95$. Now McCord Corp. was awarded a 1.147.250$ contract in May 1965 for 325.000 helmets, making the M1 helmet cost 3.53$. At the same time, Ingersoll Products Division (of Borg-Warner Corp.) was awarded a contract for 732.000 helmets at the exact same price (they would get an additional three contacts by April 1966, bringing total Helmet contracts to 8.985.000$). So I think it is accurate to assume that both Motor Wheel Corp. contact of February 1952 and McCord Corp. 1.1mill$ contract of June 1958 both has a M1 helmet price of roughly 3.20-3.30$. Therefore, I think we are looking at 300.000-325.000 helmet produced by Motor Wheel Corp. and the same amount for the McCord Corp. contract of June 1958.
    There are no Korean War American M1 helmets!
    Inspectors viewing finished helmets at the Duo-Therm plant, Sep 1952.
    There are no Korean War American M1 helmets!
    Drawing shells at the Duo-Therm plant Sep 1952.
    There are no Korean War American M1 helmets!
    Lot of important people at a tour at the Duo-Therm plant Feb. 1953.

    The highest Motor Wheel Corp. heats stamp I have seen is ”MW A64”, and lowest “MW A1”. The reason I put a gap between MW and Axx is that if you look at the lower numbers there is a gap. Once you hit two ciphers, the gap disappears, because now an additional cipher fills that gap. MW is the stamp for Motor Wheel; A is the “lift” and “xx” the heat. Lifts being the subdivision of a Heat. The Heat being the pot of melted iron poured into one brick, an ingot. Never seen any other lift than A, so probably Motor Wheel Corp. never subdivided the heats, like McCord in ww2, with A, B, C, and D… etc. If we assume MW A70 is around the highest number Motor Wheel Corp. manufactured, we can deduct that, each heat produced around 4500-4600 shells. A sheet for one shell weight roughly 1,6Kg, + say 15% edge trim during the heat to sheets manufacturing process, so they probably poured heats (ingots) around 8-8,5T.
    There are no Korean War American M1 helmets!
    There are no Korean War American M1 helmets!
    There are no Korean War American M1 helmets!

    Back to Korea War. Motor Wheel Corp. production started early September 1952 and finished about June 1953. While the Army contract was being filled the Duo-Therm Division Plant was still turning out gas and oil home heaters, which Duo-Therm is known for, Duo-Therm also being a Motor Wheel Corp. trademark for heaters. Anyway, the Korean War lasted from June 1950 to July 1953. The big movement war lasted to July 1951, where a lot of equipment got lost, needing replacement of course. For the last two year, lots of deaths, lots of exchange of artillery, air bombing and battles too. However, territory exchange not so much. Motor Wheel Corp. only pumped out helmets for the last 10 months of the war, and not where it really hurts. Therefore, I say 95% of all combat helmets used by Americans forces in the Korean War was WW2 helmets, of McCord, Schlueter and maybe Parish make, thus the initial statement there are no Korean War American M1 helmets!

  2. #2

    Default

    Well done! Jim G.

  3. #3

    Default

    Nice info. You are the “lot number” king . Good read
    Z

Similar Threads

  1. 02-12-2020, 11:28 AM
  2. 06-17-2016, 05:39 AM
  3. 07-11-2013, 08:08 AM
  4. 11-17-2012, 06:45 AM
  5. Need Help! Vietnam american helmets

    In US M1 steel helmet forum
    03-09-2012, 12:34 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Steyer Militaria - Down
Display your banner here