Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fantastic original U.S. WWI M1917 Doughboy helmet with period hand-painted camouflage and 32nd Division “Red Arrow” insignia, complete with its original liner and surviving leather chinstrap. The shell retains a striking multi-color panel camouflage scheme incorporating red, green, white, black, and yellow, with the division insignia and painted 32 still visible on the front.

The paint is heavily worn with some loss at the crown and along the edge, showing the original paint underneath. The painted insignia exhibits wear and fading consistent with the overall condition of the helmet. Its principal shape and color remain visible, while surface loss and age have softened parts of the design.

The front of the helmet bears the distinctive insignia of the 32nd Division, consisting of a red arrow passing through a horizontal line. It is painted diagonally here, rare to see. The emblem represented the division’s record of penetrating German defensive lines during its service on the Western Front and gave rise to the enduring “Red Arrow” designation.

The underside of the brim is stamped ZC 24. This letter and number combination is a manufacturing control or steel heat marking associated with American M1917 helmet production.

The solid rivets securing the chinstrap bales are another feature associated with U.S. manufactured M1917 helmets. American shells used solid attachment rivets, while British Mk I helmets are generally encountered with split fasteners at these points.

Much of the original interior paint remains present. The liner survives in worn condition and retains its original upper felt pad and some of the paper label. The leather chinstrap is also present but heavily crazed. The leather exhibits wear and substantial crazing from age and should be handled carefully to prevent further cracking.

The 32nd Division was organized in July 1917 from National Guard units drawn principally from Wisconsin and Michigan. It arrived in France in early 1918 and was the sixth American division to join the American Expeditionary Forces.

After an initial period assigned to replacement and training duties, the division entered frontline service in Alsace. Elements of the 32nd subsequently fought in the Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, and Meuse-Argonne offensives, serving at various times under both American and French command.

The 32nd suffered heavy casualties during its months of combat. Its regiments participated in difficult operations around Fismes, Juvigny, and the fortified German positions of the Meuse-Argonne before the division joined the occupation forces in Germany following the Armistice.

The combination of the period multi-color camouflage, diagonally painted Red Arrow insignia, adjacent 32 marking, ZC 24 shell stamp, surviving liner with felt pad and paper label, and original heavily crazed chinstrap makes this an especially strong example of a 32nd Division M1917 helmet. The extensive paint wear, liner wear, and fragile leather are important condition factors, but the surviving divisional insignia and camouflage pattern provide substantial historical and collector interest.