Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is an excellent example of a World War One shrapnel-damaged bring back trophy helmet which was sent home as a souvenir by an officer of the American Expeditionary Forces. There is a heavily worn and oxidation-stained mail-home label to the front of the helmet, on which we could make out a last name, Roth, a street name, Good, and the city, Akron, Ohio. From this, we can identify the sender as 2nd Lieutenant Harry C. Roth, Battery C, 55th Regiment, Coastal Artillery Corps. The 55th Regiment saw heavy combat in the Oise-Aisne and Meuse-Argonne Offensives. Lieutenant Roth certainly picked this shrapnel-damaged helmet up off of the battlefield and sent it home to his family at 91 Good Street, Akron, Ohio.

There are two large shrapnel gouges in the crown of the helmet, certainly why Lieutenant Roth chose it as his capture. The paint correctly singes at the damage points. There is heavy overall wear to the paint with oxidation peeking through where it is worn.

The helmet still has both the dome headed chinstrap retaining rivets, which hold the interior pickelhaube style chin strap lugs in place. One of the original chinstrap end pieces is still attached. It also retains both of the extended ventilation side lugs, which are the correct short version without a step for the larger size 66 shell. This would ensure proper installation of a Stirnpanzer brow plate regardless of shell size.

The original chinstrap is absent, but one chinstrap attachment "loop” remains attached to the internal lug. The surviving M1917 liner band is held in by the correct three liner pins, with the thicker back pin correctly in place. The back pin is a bit loose. The liner band retains all three liner pads, though there is oxidation spotting around them with some tearing along the bends. All three pads retain their inner pillows, and the original tie string is still retained and attached to all three.

The shell is stamped Q 66 indicating that Quist in Esslingen, Germany manufactured it. Size 66 is a nice large size that can accommodate liners from 58cm to 60cm or US 7 1/4 to 7 1/2. There is a rolling mill marking, E173.

The underside of the rear brim has an inscribed German soldier’s name, Krollmann, certainly the soldier who owned it before Roth captured it.

The 55th Regiment CAC departed New York for Europe on March 25th, 1918 and subsequently served with the 31st Artillery Brigade, Coast Artillery Corps. The regiment received campaign credit for the Oise-Aisne and Meuse-Argonne Offensives. The 55th remained in France through the Armistice and departed Brest for the United States after its overseas service.

Its participation in several of the AEF’s major 1918 campaigns provides significant context for the helmet’s American association, although the surviving mailing label does not establish the precise battlefield or date on which Roth obtained it.

The combination of severe shell damage, retained German ownership name, original liner assembly, Quist Q 66 marking, and period mail-home label gives this helmet an unusually rich sequence of ownership and use. It began as a German combat helmet worn by a soldier named Krollmann, sustained substantial fragmentation damage, entered American hands during the closing campaigns of WWI, and was then mailed home by a grizzled combat officer. It will fit well as a centerpiece in any collection surrounding First World War helmets.