"M1" which nationality ?

[Reibert]

Hi, mates,
received some military items, including a steel helmet.

While I'm interested in helmets from all eras, I'm not an expert in the field.

Will show better pictures of the helmet here in the thread afterwards.

The "M1" helmet was used internationally by / in many armies and was also manufactured under license (also here in Austria).

The shell is unfortunately in very bad condition, the liner doesn't look so bad...

At first glance it would have tended towards the Netherlands, but it could also be an American helmet, right?

Please excuse my newbie questions, OK?

[Greg Pickersgill]

Well, you're not giving us much to work with here, but for the sake of argument I'm going to suggest its a Belgian mle51, based almost entirely on the fact that it looks like it has been removed from the left side of the shell (eg a Belgian tricolour decal...), which often happens if someone wants to make a helmet look 'American M1'. Other ID points would support it being belgian, but only if you make that assumption in the first place. Pretty flimsy theory.

[Reibert]

Quite possible

BELGA 51

[JesperS]

Everything about it screams Belgian M51 to me, with an ABL Cogebi liner - Can you see if there are traces of a manufacturer marking removed from the dome of the liner?

[Reibert]

...



I have a Belgian Navy M51 helmet in my collection, which differs from the helmet requested here in the stamping in the liner as well as in the liner itself.

[JesperS]

I'm looking for traces of something like this - But either way I am pretty certain it's a Belgian M51

[Reibert]

I found the manufacturer's stamp STOCKO on snaps in the liner.
That would suggest a Bundeswehr helmet, wouldn't it?

Early Bundeswehr Zweiteilige (two part) Stahlhem

[Reibert]

The shell of the pot:

[Reibert]

The dome of the shell:

[JesperS]

I'm not an expert in M56/Zweteilige, but I am pretty sure they would have had the chinstrap sewn on.
Could be a Belgian shell with a German liner?