Original Deadstock World War Two US Army M1 Front Seam Swivel Bail Helmet.
This exceptional lid is a M1 Front Seam Swivel Bail made by Schleuter in Deadstock condition featuring a 276A heat stamp lot number indicating it was produced in late 1944 with a manganese rim and OD#3 straps. A really neat feature here is the helmet still retains factory paper remnants on it from when sheets of paper were placed in between the helmets during shipping to prevent surface damage. The helmet also features a mid-war Westinghouse Liner with a 1945 dated Nape Strap and a matching mid-war green buckle leather chin strap.
The production of the M1 helmet began in June 1941 and discontinued in September of 1945. 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 with production for the war effort. This was Schlueter Manufacturing of St. Louis, Missouri. Schlueter began production of its M-1 helmet shells in January of 1943 and produced about 2,000,000 M-1 helmet shells during the war (both fixed and swivel bail’s). Schleuter placed their signature “S” stamp on their shells below the "heat stamp” lot number. Aside from these markings, there are also some subtle differences between a McCord and a Schlueter manufactured M1 shell. These slight identifiers be found on the rims, for example; a Schlueter helmet shell has a much straighter profile than the classic and more common McCord brim.
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