{"product_id":"original-u-s-wwi-m1917-army-5th-anti-aircraft-battalion-doughboy-helmet-shell-with-camouflage-paint","title":"Original U.S. WWI M1917 Army 5th Anti-Aircraft Battalion Doughboy Helmet Shell with Camouflage Paint","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: One-of-a-kind. This is a fantastic genuine Great War hand painted camouflage helmet shell, which has lost all of the original liner. The helmet features textured original period colored camouflage paint in red, brown, and green. The front of the helmet bears a circular insignia of an artillery shell painted \u003cstrong\u003e5 \u003c\/strong\u003ewith \u003cstrong\u003eAA \u003c\/strong\u003eon the sides, indicating its use by the 5th Anti-Aircraft Battalion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe textured camouflage paint is still in great shape, with just a bit of wear around the edges, where it has chipped off. The interior of the helmet has all the original paint, with some rust corrosion in the center where the liner pad used to be. Both chin strap bales are still present.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe underside of the rim is stamped \u003cstrong\u003eZA179\u003c\/strong\u003e, indicating that the shell is a U.S. manufactured shell, and not British. The solid rivet attaching the chin-strap bale further confirm this.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA wonderful totally original helmet shell with genuine original paint! This is the first Anti-Aircraft Painted helmet we have ever offered. Ready to display!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe U.S. M1917 \"Doughboy\" Helmet\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe United States entered into World War I in April 1917, at this time the United States Army did not have a helmet for its troops. The adoption of a helmet by the French, British and German armies convinced the United States Army that a helmet was needed as a standard piece of equipment. In June 1917, the United States Army selected the standard British helmet design for its use. This was the British Mk. I steel helmet. There were three main reasons for the selection of the British Mk. I helmet design: \"the immediate availability of 400,000 ready-made helmets from England, the simplicity of manufacture from hard metal, and the superior ballistic properties.\" When the British Mk. I was selected by the United States Army, its United States production version was designated and standardized as the Helmet, M-1917. Until United States production of the M-1917 could begin, the United States Army purchased the 400,000 available British Mk. I helmets in England and issued them to the American Expeditionary Forces already in Europe. Production was begun on the M-1917 helmets in the fall of 1917. By the end of November 1917, large quantities of M-1917 helmets became available for the United States Army.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe M-1917 helmet was very similar to the British Mk. I helmet. The helmet was basically an inverted bowl stamped out of a single piece of manganese alloy, which was made up of 13 percent manganese and was .036\" thick. This differed from the British helmet, as the Mk. I helmet was made up of 12 percent manganese. Thus ballistically, the M-1917 helmet increased protection for the wearer by 10 percent over the British Mk. I helmet, and could withstand a .45 caliber pistol bullet traveling at 600 feet per second fired at a distance of 10 feet. A rim was spot welded to the edge of the steel bowl, with the ends butted, as opposed to lapped, which was done on the British Mk. I helmet. Riveted to the steel bowl were two flexible guiding loops for the chin strap. Here again, the U.S. M-1917 helmet differed from the British Mk. I helmet. On the U.S. helmet the loops were secured by solid machined rivets, whereas the British Mk. I helmet used split rivets. An adjustable leather chin strap was riveted to the steel bowl and consisted of two halves, each joined together by metal loops which were secured to the ends of the leather halves by steel split rivets. Also riveted to the steel bowl was the helmet lining. The lining was also similar to that of the British Mk. I helmet and consisted of a number of items described below:\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lining was woven of cotton twine in meshes three-eighths of an inch square. This web, fitting tightly upon the wearer's head, evenly distributed the weight of the two-pound helmet, and in the same way distributed the force of any blow upon the helmet. The netting, together with the small pieces of rubber around the edge of the lining, kept the helmet away from the head, so that even a relatively large dent could not reach the wearer's skull.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe linings of the U.S. M-1917 helmet were produced by 10 shoe manufacturing companies. The lining, as mentioned above, consisted of cotton twine mesh surrounded by a circular piece of leather that held tubular pieces of rubber, and the mesh was covered by a piece of black oil cloth. Sandwiched between the lining and the steel bowl was also a piece of felt. The steel for the M-1917 helmet was rolled by the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe steel was then pressed and stamped into its bowl shape by seven companies, which were: Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Sparks, Withington Company, Jackson, Michigan; Crosby Company, Buffalo, New York; Bossett Corporation, Utica, New York; Columbian Enameling \u0026amp; Stamping Company, Terre Haute, Indiana; Worchester Pressed Steel Company, Worchester, Massachusetts; and Benjamin Electric Company, Des Plaines, Illinois. The steel was stamped with an austenite heat number and shipment number, which were used to identify the quality of steel and shipment lots. The metal helmets and woven linings were delivered to the plant of the Ford Motor Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they were painted and assembled. To make the outside surface of the helmet anti-glare, the helmets were first painted, then fine sawdust was blown on the wet paint, and finally the helmet was painted again. To increase protective properties the helmets were painted in an olive drab shade.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the fall of 1917 production was begun on the M-1917 helmets. By the end of November 1917, the first deliveries of large quantities of M-1917 helmets were being made to the United States Army. On 17 February 1918, approximately 700,000 M-1917 helmets had been produced. As United States involvement in World War I increased, the U.S. Army placed additional orders for the M-1917 helmet. By July 1918 orders for the M-1917 helmet reached 3,000,000, in August 6,000,000, and in September 7,000,000. In November 1918, when hostilities ended and American production was ordered to cease, U.S. Manufacturers had produced a total of 2,707,237 M-1917 helmets. Production figures for the pressed and stamped steel helmets during World War I, were as follows:\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEdward G. Budd Manufacturing Co. - 1,150,775\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSparks, Withington Co. - 473,469\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCrosby Co. - 469,968\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBossett Corporation - 116,735\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eColumbian Enameling \u0026amp; Stamping Co. - 268,850\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWorchester Pressed Steel Co - 193,840\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42040893308997,"sku":"ONJR24MG418","price":595.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ONJR24MG418__01.jpg?v=1728531271","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-wwi-m1917-army-5th-anti-aircraft-battalion-doughboy-helmet-shell-with-camouflage-paint","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}