M1 liner chinstrap

[TonyTheTortoise]

I know this is more of a European forum but I’m a little suspicious of this ww2 M1 helmet liner chinstrap that I got. I want to know if it’s fake and if so, there is free returns so I’m not too worried.

[Fritz]

I would say this is an original. I had a WW2 US helmet in the late 1960s to mid 1970s. The strap is identical, and looks old and with signs of genuine use. Cannot say if this is WW2, post-war or even Vietnam period.  This would be a question for Gilderwiller.

[Gildwiller1918]

Hello Tony, just off the bat it does look a little suspect. The rivet is not centered, the reverse side where the leather is folded over with the rivet, the ends are straight cut, my originals have the ends rounded. I don't see any grooves in the leather that would have been on the outside edge. The underside of the rivets are sometimes marked with the makers info as well. The liner chinstrap is one of the hardest items to find today. Mint ones can be in the hundreds of dollars. I could be wrong, it may be original, I am not an expert by any means. 

I have included some pictures of my original strap. 

[TonyTheTortoise]

Yeah after I purchased it I didn't feel right about the triangle attachment points. Do you know of anywhere that sells them besides ebay?

[Gildwiller1918]

I will send a PM to you

[Gildwiller1918]

Ebay is convenient however there are lots of fakes on there. Sometimes you can get lucky. Flea markets and estate sales are good places to look. I have quite a list of vendors saved up, If you like I can send some info your way. 

[Gildwiller1918]

The chinstraps with the green buckle were discontinued in late 1944, then the black type ones emerged. Typically on the green painted versions, the metal should be iron. However there have been cases of blackened brass used as well. As with all wartime production, anything was used to get the job done, included items from previous production runs. The M1 helmet and related components is an area worthy of study. 

[TonyTheTortoise]

I sent it back. This is the helmet it is for. It’s an early 38 heat stamp. Sadly it was made a swivel bale. The liner is 1943 capac and is in good condition. I don’t know if it was repainted for Korea, but I’m hoping it wasn’t. It has a nice dent in the back that I can only wish was a slow moving bullet or projectile, but it’s probably from some kind playing army with it on. It’s cool because it’s got a reject stamp next to the heat stamp but it does seem like it could have been reissued later war or Korea.

[Gildwiller1918]

Nice helmet, it is not uncommon for the fixed bales to be converted to the swivel bales, the fixed bale type were prone to breaking off, and you can find lots of examples of field corrected repairs of this. And a lot of these helmets went on to service in Korea until production could catch up for new ones. The liner looks great as well, be careful of the webbing as it can become brittle over time. Dents in the steel helmet are common as well, soldiers used them for cooking, latrines, hammers, etc.