Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is a fantastic genuine Great War hand painted camouflage helmet complete with its original liner. Helmet features original period colored camouflage paint with various colors in angular black bordered shapes. It also has a hand painted insignia of the 84th Infantry Division on the crown of the helmets.

The paint does show some wear, and definitely shows use, but it has a great look with vibrant colors. The texture of the original OD Green finish can be seen through the camouflage. The interior of the helmet has all the original paint. It also has a mostly complete liner with felt top pad, however the chin strap is broken and in a delicate condition. The liner does show age, and the leather is somewhat degraded, but the oil cloth is quite solid, as is the underlying netting.

The underside of the rim is stamped ZC 200, indicating that the shell is a U.S. manufactured shell, and not British. The solid rivets attaching the chin-strap bales further confirm this.

The best feature of this helmet by far is definitely the original hand painted 84th Infantry Division insignia painted on the crown of the helmet in red white and blue. It reads LINCOLN / 84th, in reference to the unofficial nickname of the division, the "Lincoln County Division." The axe design refers to the official special designation, "The Railsplitters." The Division Insignia maintains a good deal of the original paint and remains bold and easy to see.

The 84th Division in World War I, personnel were first enlisted from the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Kentucky and were formed into an infantry division in 1917, whereupon they chose the formation's distinctive patch and nickname: "The Railsplitters". Organized at Camp Taylor, Kentucky, in Sept., 1917. The division was composed of National Army drafts from Indiana and Kentucky, and remained in training at Camp Taylor until Aug., 1918. It was deployed to France in October 1918 to serve as a training formation for replacements which would be sent to the Western Front. At the war's end, the formation was recalled home and, without having seen combat actions, inactivated in January 1919.

Tradition has it that the division traces its lineage to the Illinois militia company in which a young Captain Abraham Lincoln served during the Black Hawk War of 1832. The division patch was selected to honor this legacy and the division's origin in Illinois. For this reason, the alternative nickname of "Lincoln County" Division" has been used to denote the 84th.

Its commanders included Brig. Gen. Wilber E. Wilder (25 August 1917), Maj. Gen. Harry C. Hale (6 October 1917), Brig. Gen. Wilber E. Wilder (26 November 1917), Brig. Gen. Wilber E. Wilder (15 December 1917), Maj. Gen. Harry C. Hale (1 March 1918), Maj. Gen. Harry C. Hale (5 June 1918), Maj. Gen. Harry C. Hale (21 July 1918), Brig. Gen. Wilber E. Wilder (18 October 1918), Maj. Gen. Harry C. Hale (31 October 1918).

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

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.