Casque US M1 McCord 781B vu de trois quarts avant, insigne de la 1st Infantry Division et patine battle battered

Complete Infantry Helmet - Original McCord 781B 1st ID

Name: Complete Infantry Helmet - Original McCord 781B 1st ID
Brand: Mon Casque M1
Price: 449.00 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

449,00€

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Original restored complete M1 infantry helmet, built around an original McCord shell, lot number 781B, front seam, fixed bales and stainless steel rim, fitted with a high bail chinstrap in sand OD#3 webbing with blackened buckles. It carries the insignia of the 1st Infantry Division, repeated on the liner.

The liner is a restored Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., retaining residual traces of the Inland logo. It is fully reassembled with an unturned neckband support, medium neckband, green painted steel rivets, a headband with green buckle and green clips, and a liner chinstrap with green buckle and green posts.

About

The shell is a McCord production, lot number 781B, with a front seam, the configuration used before the change to the rear seam at the end of 1944. It is fitted with fixed bales, welded directly to the shell, characteristic of the early productions preceding the adoption of swivel bales. The rim is of the stainless steel type, unpainted and visible around the entire edge. Together these features form a coherent early-period M1 helmet configuration.

The liner is a restored Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. model, retaining residual traces of the Inland logo, a vestige of the transfer of the Inland tooling to Firestone following changes to the production contracts. The neckband support is mounted in the unturned position and the neckband is medium size. The rivets are green painted steel, the headband is fitted with a green buckle and green clips. The liner chinstrap has a green buckle and green posts, the whole forming a consistent assembly in line with Firestone builds of this generation.

1.9 kg

Shell: Steel
Chinstrap: Cotton
Buckles: Brass

The original McCord shell has been fully restored. The process includes careful soda blasting and the application of a new textured paint conforming to period standards. Components such as the fixed bales and the rim have been checked and preserved to ensure the helmet's authenticity.

The liner is one size, but is nonetheless adjustable both in depth and in head circumference.

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Helmet Shell Details

Image d'ambiance peinture du casque complet infanterie 781B McCord et son liner Firestone

Painting Complete Infantry Helmet - Original McCord 781B 1st ID

The shell is painted in the colours of the 1st Infantry Division, with the divisional insignia, the famous Big Red One, also repeated on the liner. This marking, applied within units rather than at the factory, varied in size and position depending on the echelon. The battle battered finish reproduces the appearance of paint subjected to the conditions of the landings and the hedgerow fighting. The base colour conforms to the olive drab standards of the US Army in use during the conflict.

Image d'ambiance texture du casque complet infanterie 781B McCord et son liner Firestone

Texture Complete Infantry Helmet - Original McCord 781B 1st ID

The McCord shell presents a granular surface texture, obtained by mixing cork into the paint, a process intended to reduce reflections and noise. The whole is patinated in its battle battered finish, with edge wear and localised chipping consistent with equipment worn on operations.

Image d'ambiance jugulaire du casque complet infanterie 781B McCord et son liner Firestone

Chinstrap Complete Infantry Helmet - Original McCord 781B 1st ID

The shell is fitted with a high bail chinstrap, mounted on the fixed bales. The webbing is of the OD#3 type, sand coloured, corresponding to the productions preceding the change to green OD#7. The buckles have a blackened finish, a treatment applied to suppress the glare of bare metal. The whole presents an assembly consistent with the standards of the American infantry in the field.

Helmet Liner Details

Image description contre rivet peint vert olive drab de sous casque US M1

Painted Steel A Washer

Since 1943, the steel washers underwent a modification of their surface finish. They were now painted green, replacing previous chemical coatings. Although this paint offered a less effective protection against corrosion and wear, it was adopted. This decision was mainly motivated by economic considerations. The painted finish was indeed a much less expensive solution to implement. This change illustrates a preference for the cost reduction of production.

Non-adjustable Neckband

The neckband, now manufactured in khaki cotton following the abandonment of rayon, incorporated new specifications. These parts were now marked with ink (by stamping) to clearly indicate their size and manufacturer. The standardization of sizes, which took place in 1943, distinguished three categories: “small", "medium" And "large". As for the snap fasteners, they are mostly engraved with the words "United Carr", although one can come across pieces devoid of any inscription.

Green Loop Headband

From 1942, the headband was equipped with a new stamped steel buckle. This buckle, painted green for protection and camouflage purposes, improved the fit. At the same time, the fixing clamps were also revised, as the first model was deemed too flexible. The new clamps received a stamped bead additional near their end. This technical modification had the effect of making the clips more rigid, thus ensuring better closure and more secure fixation. This marked an important step towards making the suspension system more reliable.

Non-Returned Neckband Support

After October 1942, a seemingly insignificant change was made to the making of the headbands. From now on, the ends of these bands were no longer folded before being riveted to the liner. This change, however minimal in the manufacturing process, had significant logistical repercussions. By eliminating this folding, the army achieved a substantial savings of raw material. This simple measure made it possible to save nearly two million meters of suspension strap. This demonstrates the major impact that small optimizations can have on the resource management on a large scale.

Image d'illustration du crochet de jugulaire en cuir de liner US M1 peint en vert.

Green Chin Strap Attachment

The second type of chinstrap represents a crucial development, becoming removableand no longer integral with the hull. To ensure this quick attachment, a triangular-shaped attachment hook is present at each end of the strap. On the model presented, this attachment triangle is green. It locks onto a male stud (similar to a garter belt system), securely riveted to the inner shell. These fastening studs could be made of brass or steel, and came with either a rounded or hollow tip. This mechanism offered unprecedented flexibility of use compared to the first fixed models.

Green Liner Chinstrap

The year 1943 was marked by the need to correct a reliability problem in the adjustment system.
An initial design flaw in the cam caused premature wear.
Its tip was therefore modified and rounded, as the old blunt shape tended to shear and damage the leather of the headband.
As for the hardware, the rivet at the non-adjustable end temporarily remained in green-painted iron.
It kept this material and color specification until production adopted new standards around mid-1944.
These successive adjustments were intended to extend the service life of the equipment and ensure better functionality.

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Complete Infantry Helmet - Original McCord 781B 1st ID

On 6 June 1944, the 1st Infantry Division landed on the Omaha Beach sector, the deadliest of the five beaches of the Allied landings in Normandy. Nicknamed the Big Red One, the unit had already fought in North Africa and Sicily, and its experience was one of the reasons for its commitment to this sector, judged the most difficult. From the first waves, the men found themselves pinned beneath the bluffs, their supporting artillery destroyed or swamped, the landing plans disrupted by the currents. The breakthrough was finally achieved by small groups working up the draws, led by officers and non-commissioned officers improvising outside any initial plan. By the end of the day the division held a fragile beachhead, at the cost of considerable losses. The following weeks saw it push into the Normandy bocage, terrain where every hedgerow had to be taken separately. The divisional insignia painted on helmets, a common practice within the unit, allowed immediate identification in this compartmented landscape where squads lost sight of one another within a few metres.