Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great example of a genuine WWII Rear-Seam Swivel Bale M1 Helmet made by McCord Radiator, with an extremely rare Hawley pressed paper liner. These liners are quite delicate, and were often replaced during the war, making them very hard to find. This liner in particular shows just how fragile they can be.
The U.S. WWII M-1 helmet was only produced from 1941 to 1945. The first production batch resulted with over 323,510 M-1 helmets before the start of the American involvement in the war. This helmet is heat-lot stamped 1205 H, a very low number which indicates the approximate manufacture date of March 1945, towards the end of the war.
The Ordnance Department selected McCord Radiator and Manufacturing Company of Detroit Michigan to produce the steel M1 helmet bodies. These bodies were made from a single piece of Hadfield Manganese steel that was produced by the Carnegie-Illinois & Sharon Steel Corporations. Each completed raw M-1 helmet shell weighed 2.25 lbs each.
The later M-1 helmet shells had a set of moveable chinstrap loops called "bales" and a stainless steel rim. These rims were both rust resistant and had "non-magnetic qualities" that reduced the chance of error readings when placed around certain sensitive equipment (such as a compass).
This helmet is a fine example and still retains all of its original WWII parts and the shell has all original "corked" grain paint with front seam and fixed bails. It shows only light wear to the paint, with some staining and scratches. The chin strap is the correct OD Green #3 with all brass hardware, including the cast brass buckle. Condition of the shell is quite nice, with some minor denting, consistent with service use. There is also still a lot of paint on the Stainless Steel rim, which was very prone to wear.
The inside has a name and service number painted on: George Bolcik U.S. 51034880
The liner is in fair condition, which is common, as the Hawley liners were made of paper, and unfortunately not nearly as resistant to wear as the "high-pressure" type. Often they were replaced and discarded during the war. The edge of the liner is about half intact, with a bit of very minor cracking and bending on the left and right sides, due to many years resting against the bales of the helmet shell. There is also the usual deformation due to the paper construction. The rayon web suspension is present but is missing the sweat band and chin strap. The liner definitely shows use and abuse with a lot of cracking present.
If you were looking for one for the collection, this is it! Ready to display!
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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