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Item:
ONSV4366

Original U.S. WWI M1917 37th Engineer Battalion Doughboy Helmet With Textured Paint

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent example of a U.S. M1917 "Doughboy" helmet, which features original period textured OD Green paint and a painted Unit Insignia. The shell is maker marked with a stamping on the underside of the rim that reads ZA. 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. The liner is present, and is in very good condition, with great looking oil cloth and netting. The original top tag is still completely intact and legible. The chin strap is fully intact, and actually in very good condition, one of the best we've seen on a WWI doughboy helmet.

The best feature of this helmet is definitely the original hand painted 37th Engineer Battalion emblem on the front of the helmet. The Division Insignia maintains most of the original paint and is somewhat dirty from years of service. It is a nice red "37" over the "Castle" emblem of the Army Engineers.

A great example of an authentic WWI "Doughboy" helmet shell from the 37th Engineer Battalion, ready to display!

History of the 28th Division:

The 37th Engineer Battalion was first activated on 16 January 1918, as 1st Battalion, 37th Engineer Regiment, whose primary function was electrical and mechanical engineering. During World War I, the battalion participated in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive as a member of the American Expeditionary Force. Following the war, the 37th Engineer Regiment was inactivated in March 1919.

The 37th was then reactivated for WWII, and became an Amphibious battalion that helped clear beaches during the D-Day Invasion, Operation Overlord.

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.

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