Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. This is an Original U.S. WWII M1 McCord Front Seam Helmet with Swivel Bales with a Firestone Tire & Rubber Co Liner. The shell is painted in Navy blue with a red 283 stenciled to the front. This is a genuine helmet was issued to a member of the US Navy that served on the USS LST-283 Tank Landing Ship.
USS LST-283 was a LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship.
Laid down, 2 August 1943, at American Bridge Co., Ambridge, PA.
Launched, 10 October 1943
Commissioned USS LST-283, 18 November 1943, LTjg. John R. Perry, USN, in command.
During World War II USS LST-283 was assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater and the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in Invasion of Normandy, 6 to 25 June 1944
USS LST-283 departed Halifax N.S. 11 February 1944, arriving Milford Haven. England 16 March 1944. There she was loaded and departed 5 June 1944 for the invasion of Normandy, anchoring off UTAH beach. LST-283 made nine shuttles between Portland, England and OMAHA and UTAH beaches with prisoners and wounded. Although not classified as "H" she carried 4 doctors and 40 corpsmen.
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 stamped 80C which indicates the approximate manufacture date of November 1941. The helmet was later updated with swivel bales which began appearing on helmets in early 1944.
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 swivel (movable) 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).
The liner is correct high pressure WWII issue and stamped with an F logo over F4 for the FIRESTONE TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY Manufactured in Akron, Ohio this high pressure manufactured M-1 helmet liner is identified by an embossed F in the crown. Firestone Tire and Rubber Company started M-1 helmet liner delivery to the US Army in September 1942. They produced approximately 7,500,000 M-1 helmet liners and discontinued production around August 17, 1945 when the war ended.
A true US WWII M-1 helmet liner can usually be identified through the frontal eyelet hole. Other correct WW2 features include cotton herringbone twill (HBT) cloth suspension. This HBT suspension is held tightly within the M-1 helmet liner by rivets and a series of triangular "A" washers. The three upper suspension bands are joined together with a shoestring. This way the wearer could adjust the fit. All parts of this liner are original WWII manufacture.
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