Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice example of a genuine WWII Front-Seam Fixed Bale M1 Helmet made by McCord Radiator, which was issued to a sailor on the U.S.S. Key (DE-348) Destroyer Escort. It is fitted with Westinghouse liner, and the shell has been painted over with the correct gray blue used on U.S. Navy Helmets. It also has the large red number 87 painted on the front.

Per the information we received with this helmet, it was issued to the U.S. Navy, and used aboard the U.S.S. Key Destroyer Escort in the Atlantic in 1944, and the Pacific in 1945. It was brought home by Seaman 2nd Class Jackson Mitchell Hartman, and kept by the family until being sold. We have not done much investigation into Hartman, and leave it as an excellent research opportunity.

The U.S. WWII M-1 helmet was only produced from 1941 to 1945. The first production batch resulted with over 323,510 M-1 helmets before the start of the American involvement in the war. This helmet is heat lot stamped 638C which indicates the approximate manufacture date of August-September 1943.

The Ordnance Department selected McCord Radiator and Manufacturing Company of Detroit Michigan to produce the steel M1 helmet bodies. These bodies were made from a single piece of Hadfield Manganese steel that was produced by the Carnegie-Illinois & Sharon Steel Corporations. Each completed raw M-1 helmet shell weighed 2.25 lbs each.

This very good condition M1 shell has correct mid war fixed chinstrap loops, called "bales," and a stainless steel rim with a front seam. These rims were both rust resistant and had "non-magnetic qualities" that reduced the chance of error readings when placed around certain sensitive equipment (such as a compass). In November 1944 the specification was changed to have the rim seam in the rear of the helmet.

This helmet is a fine example and still retains most of its original WW2 parts and the shell has all original "corked" grain paint, though it has been painted over with U.S. Navy Gray blue. It also has definitely seen wear after that point, and there is a dent on the upper right side. There is also the usual wear on the stainless steel rim. The shell has the correct front seam with large oval welds, confirming it is a McCord shell. It has the correct mid war OD green #3 Chin strap with a stamped steel buckle.

The liner is correct "high pressure" WWII issue and stamped with a W for the Westinghouse Electric Co Manufactured in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this "high pressure" manufactured M-1 helmet liner is identified by an embossed "W" in the crown (which is still Westinghouse's logo to this day). Westinghouse was the largest M-1 helmet liner producer and had two production divisions; Micarta and Bryant Electric. The Micarta Division produced about 13,000,000 M-1 helmet liners and the Bryant Electric Division about 10,000,000. Westinghouse Electric Company started M-1 helmet liner delivery in May 1942. Westinghouse did have a contract to producce airborne liners and converted an unknown amount to airborne configuration. Westinghouse discontinued production around August 17, 1945 when the war ended.

This true US WWII M-1 helmet liner be identified through the frontal eyelet hole. Other correct WW2 features include cotton herringbone twill (HBT) cloth suspension liner, though the webbing has deteriorated significantly, very common for Navy helmets, which were exposed to the sea air. This HBT suspension is held tightly within the M-1 helmet liner by rivets and a series of triangular "A" washers. The three upper suspension bands are still joined together with the correct OD green string, but the rest of the rigging is torn through in several places. The original sweatband is still present, but is now very hard, and the original liner chin strap is missing, which is very common.

An excellent genuine U.S. Navy WWII issue helmet with some nice provenance, perfect for any collection! Ready to research and display!

USS Key (DE-348) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. Key was launched on 12 February 1944 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas, sponsored by Mrs. Ira F. Key, mother of Lt. Key; and commissioned on 5 June 1944, Lt. Comdr. F. D. Buckley in command.

North Atlantic operations
Following shakedown off Bermuda, Key operated out of Norfolk, Virginia, training crews for destroyer escorts and patrolling the North Atlantic in quest of submarines. Clearing Hampton Roads 20 September, she escorted a convoy to Naples, Italy, then returned to New York 24 October. As a unit of CortDiv 76, she sailed from New York 10 November for duty with the U.S. 7th Fleet in the Southwest Pacific.

Transfer to the Pacific Fleet
Key arrived Hollandia, New Guinea, 27 December, and between 1 January 1945 and 6 February she made five escort runs from Hollandia to Leyte Gulf. On 9 February she began antisubmarine patrols east of Leyte Gulf; then she steamed to Mangarin Bay, Mindoro, 19 February for similar duty in the South China Sea. Returning to Leyte 14 March, the versatile destroyer escort operated out of Leyte Gulf and Polloc, Mindanao, screening ships en route to Lingayen Gulf, Luzon; Zamboanga, Mindanao; Jolo, Sulu Archipelago; and Legaspi and Manila, Luzon. After escorting a convoy of LSMs and LCIs to Davao Gulf 15 May, Key bombarded and destroyed an important Japanese patrol boat base at Piso Point before returning to Polloc on 17 May.

After additional escort runs to Davao Gulf, Leyte Gulf, and Legaspi, Luzon, Key departed Manila Bay 11 June for duty in the Dutch East Indies. Arriving Morotai Island on 14 June, she screened Tawitawi-bound LCIs from 23–26 June before escorting a convoy on 28 June to a rendezvous the following day with the amphibious force en route to the assault at Balikpapan, Borneo. While at Balikpapan on 7 July, Key rescued a survivor from an LCM sunk by a mine in the harbor. She patrolled for enemy submarines until 22 July when she sailed via Morotai for Leyte Gulf, arriving 4 August.

End-of-war operations
Operating out of Leyte after the end of hostilities, Key steamed on antisubmarine patrols east of Leyte from 22 to 31 August and escorted a convoy to Ulithi, Western Carolines before sailing to Manila on 8 September. Between 18 September and 23 November she made two escort runs from Manila Bay to Okinawa to support American occupation operations in Japan. Clearing Manila Bay on 25 November, she embarked homebound veterans on 27 November at Guiuan, Samar and departed the next day for the United States.