Original U.S. WWII / Korean War USMC Front Seam Fixed Bale M1 Helmet with MSA Liner and USMC Cover With Stenciled Eagle, Globe and Anchor - Complete

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice service-used example of a WWII / Korean War Era U.S. Marine Corps Issue M1 Helmet as used during the Korean War Era. The shell is a great Early WWII example with fixed bales and a front seam. We could not find a heat lot stamp on the interior. It is still fitted with the original khaki chinstrap with a stamped brass buckle. 

The helmet comes with a great service-worn U.S. Marine Corps Reversible Camouflage Cover, which still has a stamped EGA on the front which was done during the Korean War and not WWII. The cover is well-integrated into the helmet and does not have a maker stamp anywhere. This is the later pattern and does have the 16 foliage buttonhole slits in the top of the helmet cover.

Manufactured in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this “high pressure” manufactured M-1 helmet liner is identified by an embossed MSA in the crown. Mine Safety Appliance started M-1 helmet liner delivery to the US Army in September 1942. They produced approximately between 2,000,000 – 4,000,000 M-1 helmet liners and discontinued production around August 17, 1945 when the war ended.

This true almost excellent condition US WWII M-1 helmet liner be identified through the frontal eyelet hole. Other correct WW2 features include cotton herringbone twill (HBT) cloth suspension dated 1943. 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. The liner is in good shape with some cracks along the edges. The sweatband is retained with dryrot and there is a laundry number on the suspension, C-2958.

A nice worn example of a WWII & Korean War issue USMC helmet, perfect for any collection! Ready to display!

The M1 Helmet
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 total production of M-1 helmet shells during the war reached 22,000,000. Of these about 20,000,000 were produced by the main contractor McCord Radiator and Manufacturing Company of Detroit. Although McCord was supposed to be the single source of M-1 helmet shells, by the summer of 1942 a second company was enlisted to help the production effort. This was Schlueter Manufacturing of St. Louis, Missouri. Schlueter began production of its M-1 helmet shells in January 1943. Schlueter produced only 2,000,000 M-1 helmet shells during the war (both fixed and swivel).

The early M-1 helmet shells had a set of fixed (static) 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.