Original U.S. WWI M1917 Ohio National Guard 37th Division Painted Doughboy Helmet Shell - Buckeye Division
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Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good original U.S. WWI M1917 “Doughboy” helmet shell bearing the painted insignia of the 37th Division, known as the “Buckeye Division.” The division was organized largely from Ohio National Guard troops and served overseas in France and Belgium during the First World War. The helmet retains its original U.S.-made shell construction and a heavily worn but still recognizable divisional insignia painted on the front. The liner and chinstrap are entirely absent.
The shell is maker-marked with a stamping on the underside of the rim that reads ZC 56. The solid rivets and heat lot number indicate that this helmet shell was produced in the United States. The paint is heavily worn on the inside and outside, with some damage to the buckeye insignia. The liner and chinstrap are entirely absent.
The best feature of this helmet is definitely the original 37th Division - Buckeye Division emblem in the center of the front of the helmet. The design is a classic red and white "Buckeye" with the OD green of the helmet around it providing the green stripe.
The 37th Division was constituted in July 1917 and trained at Camp Sheridan before reaching France in 1918. Its units served in both France and Belgium during the closing campaigns of the war, and the division retained a particularly strong Ohio identity throughout its service.
This helmet is particularly noteworthy for the combination of its ZC 56 U.S. production marking, solid-rivet M1917 shell construction, and surviving painted insignia of the Ohio National Guard’s 37th “Buckeye” Division. Even with the missing liner and substantial paint wear, the front insignia gives the shell a clear divisional identity and strong connection to one of the best-known Ohio formations of the First World War.
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