Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice example of a U.S. M1917 "Doughboy" helmet, which features original period OD Green paint and an original liner. The whole helmet features the painted Unit Insignia of the 29th Infantry Division emblem. The Division Insignia maintains most of the original paint and remains bold and easy to see.

The shell is maker marked with a stamping on the underside of the rim that reads ZC 231. 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, with the expected wear from service. There is also a bit of ripping in the shell, indicating early U.S. production.

The liner is also in quite nice shape, with a very good oil cloth liner, and the top felt pad is still present, though worn. It is marked size 7 1/4 on the support strap in the middle, but does not have the top label. The chin strap is intact and does not have any major cracks or tears. The leather is however somewhat stained and delicate, so definitely handle with care.

A great example of an authentic WWI "Doughboy" helmet from the 29th Infantry Division,
ready to display!

The 29th Infantry Division (29th ID), also known as the "Blue and Gray Division", is an infantry division of the United States Army based in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It is currently a formation of the U.S. Army National Guard and contains units from Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia.

The 29th Division was first constituted on paper on 18 July 1917, three months after the American entry into World War I, in the U.S. Army National Guard. Troops came from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. As the division was composed of men from states that had units that fought for both the North and South during the American Civil War, it was nicknamed the "Blue and Gray" division, after the blue uniforms of the Union and the gray uniforms of the Confederate armies. The division was organized as a unit on 25 August 1917 at Camp McClellan, Alabama. In January 1918, the Delaware units were relieved from assignment to the division.

The division departed for the Western Front in June 1918 to join the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). The division's advance detachment reached Brest, France on 8 June. In late September, the 29th received orders to join the U.S. First Army's Meuse-Argonne Offensive as part of the French XVII Corps. During its 21 days in combat, the 29th Division advanced seven kilometers, captured 2,148 prisoners, and knocked out over 250 machine guns or artillery pieces. Thirty percent of the division became casualties—170 officers and 5,691 enlisted men were killed or wounded. Shortly thereafter the Armistice with Germany was signed on 11 November 1918, ending hostilities between the Central Powers and the Allied Powers. The division returned to the United States in May 1919. It demobilized on 30 May at Camp Dix, New Jersey.