Despite me saying "No more helmets in 2016"….I have now broken that vow 4x’s with still 3 months to go.

So….Here is my first WW1 US helmet. An M1917 with a 5th Division Flash.

Oilcloth is still soft. Chinstrap is broken but remaining parts are in good condition. No ink stampings on the Oilcloth liner but the leather band is marked "A" and "C" in pencil.

Helmet has the three holes for the face mask.

It is nice in that it is named, but I can not make out what the name is.

Shell is stamped ZB55. Does anyone know who the maker "B" was?

I’m new to WW1 helmets but have read that unit flashed helmets were generally done post war. It is obvious that this has received a coat of brown paint over the original paint. Any feedback/thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Here are the pics (a few are in direct sunlight). Double click for high resolution and expandable pictures!

What do you think?

Regards,

Michael

Click to enlarge the picture