The US M-1 helmet helmets came in a variety of designs. Those design for Airborne forces and those for land based troops. The following is an analysis of one of those helmets. Detailed photographs and terminology are given to provide the enthusiast and collector with a better understanding of this fascinating aspect of militaria.

While the item discussed here may not be available for sale, you can see our inventory of Spanish helmets that are by going to our web store.

The chin strap is attached to a swivel bail which is welded to the helmet itself. The chin strap has a buckle and hook mechanism. Variations of these pieces were seen throughout the years. The same basic system has been in place since WWII. The liner is made of fiber glass. The body is normally painted OD green. The sample shown here has not been painted. It has a wood-like appearance. This is an earlier M-1 liner. Dating back to the late 1940's. Note that the eyelet is no longer present. That was an exclusive characteristic of the WWII liner. The liner remained virtually unchanged since WWII. The construction continued to be from fiberglass. The eyelet in the front dissappeared. As did the chin strap posts in the inside. The leather chin strap was no longer available after WWII. A series of rivets with button-like ends are placed around the perimeter of the liner. The suspension components are connected to the metal buttons by sliding the opening into place. This is not always the easiest thing to do because there is tension on the bands. It takes some strength and skill to put the liner suspension in. The M-1 liner was marked in multiple places. The marking on this example reads: "Suspension assembly, ground troop's helmet liner, DLA-100-84-C-4431, Specialty Plastic Products". Another example of markings found in the liner. The markings read as follows: "Liner helmet, ground troops, DLA-83-100-C-4113". The Americans developed paratrooper forces during WWII. The M-1 helmet was adopted by these forces. The paratrooper helmet had a few characteristics that separated it from other M-1 helmets. Some of them were developed during WWII. These are examples of the types of covers that could be worn with the M-1 helmet. The picture on the left shows the woodland camo cover. Widely employed from the 1980's to the 1990's. The cover on the right photo is customized.

If you have an interest is seeing other Spanish headgear, you can do so by going to our Spanish helmets identification guide. Where we cover Army, Navy, Air Force and other organizations from various time periods.

This service is provided free of charge to the visitor/enthusiast courtesy of MilitaryItems.com , a company dedicated to the preservation of military history and to providing quality military antiques and collectibles to museums, institutions and the general public.