Original U.S. WWII “Blue Devils” 88th Infantry Division Painted McCord Fixed Bale M1 Helmet with Scarce Matching Hawley Paper Co. Liner - Initialed FRP

Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is one of the most tremendous M1 helmets we have ever offered, worn by a “Blue Devil” Corporal of the 88th Infantry Division. This fixed bale, front seam M1 helmet has a heat lot stamp of 342B for a very early production by McCord. This helmet also has a very scarce Hawley Paper liner which is matching as a stencil of the 88th ID insignia is drawn at the front. The liner is marked FRP on the suspension, making for a great research project. The 88th Infantry Division was the first organized Reserve Division to go overseas, and also the first to enter combat. During the time it was in combat, from March 4 1944 to May 2 1945, the Blue Devils suffered over four thousand battle casualties, of whom twelve hundred were killed in action.

This helmet is a fine complete example and still retains all of its original WW2 parts and the shell has all original "corked" grain paint with a blue clover with a white border painted at the front, with a set of blue Corporal chevrons below it. The paint is heavily worn to the exterior, with heavy wear at the crown from sitting upside down for so long. The helmet has a tremendous patina, with the paint worn in all the right ways, exactly the way you want to find these.

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. The Ordnance Department elected 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.

This is an early M-1 helmet with a set of fixed (non-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). In October 1943, issues with the fixed bales breaking off resulted in a change to the "swivel bales" that this helmet has. In 1944, to deal with paint wearing off the very shiny stainless steel rim, the material was changed to manganese steel in October, and then the seam moved to the rear in November. This example still has the front seam.

This particular helmet is of the early fixed bale variety, with khaki chinstraps fitted with a stamped brass buckle. The chinstrap shows heavy wear and is properly wrapped around the back of the helmet.

The liner of this example is an extremely scarce Hawley Paper liner. Due to this, they were not nearly as resistant to wear as the "high-pressure" type. It has some extensive tearing and material loss along the rim. The rigging is in fair shape with heavy service use, especially in the leather sweatband which is cracking heavily. The web suspension is also in very nice shape, with FRP written on the back strap, certainly the soldier’s initials. The exterior is in good shape and there is a faint stenciled 88th Division clover drawn to the front. There is fraying of the material along the edge of the liner, with some notable cracks in the back and sides, but this example has held up considerably well.

The liner retains its chinstrap, stretched taut over the front brim, with evident cracking, crazing, and verdigris staining. It can be removed for inspection of the liner, but please be careful when doing so.

Genuine wartime painted M1 helmets are becoming increasingly difficult to scarce, with the prices only skyrocketing. They will only continue to go up, making this a fantastic offering that will only appreciate in value over the years. Comes ready for further research and display.