Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice example of a U.S. M1917 "Doughboy" helmet, marked to a unit that served during WWI. It also features original period hand-painted camouflage paint on the top side. The shell is maker marked with a stamping on the underside of the rim that reads ZA 48. The solid rivets and heat lot number indicate that this helmet shell was produced in the United States. The paint is in very good condition both inside and outside the helmet, intact with a lovely patina of age. 

The helmet has a mostly complete liner with felt top pad, however the chin strap is completely missing. The liner does show age, and the leather is somewhat degraded, but the oil cloth is quite solid, as is the underlying netting.

The best feature of this helmet is definitely the original hand painted camouflage paint job, which has various shades of green, brown, blue, and yellow. It also has a white shield in the middle of the front, with the French and American flags crossed above it, and the word FRANCE has scraped off of the textured paint before the camouflage was applied. Below this is 335 M.G., indicating the wearer was a member of the 335th Machine Gun Battalion. The colors are still quite vibrant and easy to see, making this a great example of a personalized helmet from WWI.

A wonderful totally original helmet with genuine original paint! Ready to display!

The 335th Machine Gun Battalion was part of the 87th Infantry Division's WWI Order of Battle. It served as part of the 173rd Infantry Brigade, along with the 345th & 346th Infantry Regiments. The division was activated at Camp Pike, Arkansas on 25 August 1917, and went overseas in September 1918, a few months before Armistice day.

History of the M1917 Helmet

The M1917 was the US Army's first modern combat helmet, used from 1917 and during the 1920s, before being replaced by the M1917A1. The M1917A1 helmet was an updated version of the M1917 and initially used refurbished WW1 shells.

The M1917 is a near identical version of the British Mk.I steel helmet, and it is important to note that when the US joined the Great War in 1917 they were initially issued with a supply of around 400,000 British made Mk.Is, before production began state side. The M1917 differed slightly in its lining detail, and exhibited US manufacture markings.

M1917 helmet liners typically show a paper label at the crown and the dome rivet head. The liner is set up as on the British versions, with an oilcloth band and net configuration, attached to a leather strap, riveted to the shell. The chinstrap is leather with steel buckle.