M1 Helmet 101

[Domn]

Hello all!
A question. I have an opportunity to buy M1 (supposedly ww2) helmet where at first look everything looks ok but one detail. The color of shell seems ok, there is front seam visible. From the pictures I have the color seems to be dark green. Same goes for the liner also. It looks typical ww2 liner. The one important detail that bothers me is that the straps aren't sewn directly on the shell loops but are rather attached with clasps. The loops on shell are late war. What would you think of it? When were clasps introduced? I know many armies used m1 war and post war issued.

Thank you,
Domen

[Domn]

Oh I can also tell that I come from Europe, former Yugoslavia. In Trieste were a lot of american troops at the time after the war also.

[MattS]

Hello all!
A question. I have an opportunity to buy M1 (supposedly ww2) helmet where at first look everything looks ok but one detail. The color of shell seems ok, there is front seam visible. From the pictures I have the color seems to be dark green. Same goes for the liner also. It looks typical ww2 liner. The one important detail that bothers me is that the straps aren't sewn directly on the shell loops but are rather attached with clasps. The loops on shell are late war. What would you think of it? When were clasps introduced? I know many armies used m1 war and post war issued.

Thank you,
Domen

If it is a front seam shell, it was produced from 1941-1943. If it is painted dark green and the chin straps are held on by clasps, it was refurbished after WW2. The first style clasps were painted olive green and fitted to M1 helmets from 1951 to 1960. After 1960, the clasps were painted black through 1973 when a new angled clip was introduced. Many WW2 produced M1 helmet shells were overhauled and repainted numerous times and served in the US military through the early 1990s.

[historiknut]

Thanks for posting these. A much needed discussion.

[nick82sgc]

The book "Doughboy To GI" by Kenneth Lewis, has some good information. It says that the metal strap clips and quick release parts were designed in 1944. I have always heard that rear seemed helmets were Korean War to 1980s era helmets. Korean War era liners have the side clips for the leather chin strap, like WW2 era liners. But only WW2 1943 to 1945 liners have a D.I. Hole. The 1942 first pattern liners, and Korean War era fiberglass liners do not have the D.I. Hole. I have seen N.A.T.O. Dutch M-1 Helmet liners that were made of plastic, which did have the WW2 style D.I. Hole on the front. The Dutch plastic liners are from circa 1980. Also Japan made a M-1 Helmet liner from circa 1989 that was meant for the smaller Japanese head size. Iraqi Desert Storm era helmets also seem to be based on the M-1 Helmet design.

[nick82sgc]

Some info from Doughboy To GI" by Kenneth Lewis.

[nick82sgc]

Desert Storm Iraqi helmet with an American 1982 dated sweat band.

[nick82sgc]

1989 Japanese Defense Force M-1 Helmet liner. Made for the smaller Japanese head size.

[nick82sgc]

Some 1943 to 1945 made American M-1 Helmet Liners that had soldier graffiti.

[nick82sgc]

I have seen many WW2 era helmet liners repainted for use in the 1950s, that had unit decals on the sides, but then they were repainted green again for reissue in the Vietnam era. The 1950s era unit logo decals were just painted over with the latter Vietnam War era paint. One time when I was a kid, I went with my father to a junk yard that had a sea of helmet liners. As far as the eye could see, there were thousands of helmet liners decaying outside in a field. My father bought a bunch of WW2 era liners for $1.00 each. The ones with the D.I. holes. He only got the ones that hadn't decayed yet. That was years ago. I will always remember seeing all those liners out there at the junk yard....

[nick82sgc]

I have also seen 1950s era "Aggressor" helmet liners for War-Games. Some helmet liners had wood added to the top, and some were made with the top part pressed out of the fiberglass when manufactured. With a mohawk arch on the top like some fireman's helmets. There is an episode of the vintage TV show, "Dobie Gillis", where Maynard G. Krebs has a 1950s era fiberglass Aggressor War-Games helmet when he is in the Army.

[nick82sgc]

I did see once, a couple of Navy Seabee Construction M-1 Helmet Liners. I saw a thick gray liner that had the circa 1972 removable suspension straps. It was thick like an Iraqi helmet. I think it was maybe a Post Vietnam War era liner. I also saw another thin plastic liner with black plastic suspension on the inside. It was a circa 1990 Seabee helmet liner. I think some steel pot shells for the M-1 helmet were still used with this late type of liner as a construction hard hat in the 1990s. I wish I had saved more photos of the circa 1990 Seabee construction helmet liner. This is the only image I managed to still have of it. It had a black cloth strap, with a black plastic buckle. All the interior suspension that the wear would have against their head was black plastic, and not cloth.