It should be noted that Mitchell Pattern covers are now being reproduced and are available online.
Most examples do not have contract dates, but as time passes you most certainly see exact copies start to show up. Reproductions are not a bad thing, but just a sign that supplies are becoming more limited and the demand is growing for examples to display or use in film or historic reenactments.
It is still a great time to find minty and even new old stock examples. Below are a range of dates starting with and ending with Hope this helps and good luck dating any cover you run across.
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Feel free to make the VietnamWarHelmets. Having these dates can help you when you are out in the field hunting for parts and pots. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by.
Vietnam Helmets
View all posts by tourofduty A separate lining system had many advantages. Being light weighted it could be used without the steel shell for guard or ceremonial duties, whilst the shell itself could also double up as a wash basin in the Field. Brought into service in the M1 liner underwent a variety of design and material changes over its service life, with the most important developments happening during the Second World War.
The first liners were from the Hawley company.
Dating Vietnam War Helmet Covers
Distinctive in form and desirable to collectors, the Hawley liner mimicked the shell in form, and was made of compressed cardboard painted a light shade of khaki green in the inner. It was covered by a similar coloured cloth stretched over its outer surface and tucking under the rim into a bevel, a key characteristic of all Hawley liners. An adjustable and removable rayon sweatband was also clipped into position using poppers, and featured a leather lined forehead section.
An improved sweatband was now fully faced in lea and clipped onto the webbing.
M1 helmet liner dating | Stoneys Rockin Country
Low Pressure liners were made by the companies Hood and St Clair and were constructed of rubber fibre. The outer surface was painted olive drab and featured an air vent above the frontal rivet, a feature of all subsequent wartime liners.
The air vent was also used to attach officer rank insignia. The interior was left unpainted. The material thickness is also notable thinner than all other liner variations. The webbing was as that used on later pattern Hawleys.