WWI US ARMY EXPERIMENTAL MODEL 5 HELMET WW1

The industrialization and mechanization of war in the early twentieth century which meant an increased use of artillery, tanks, and machine guns, and the advent of trench warfare resulted in an unprecedented number of killed and wounded soldiers right from the outset of World War I in 1914. The large number of head wounds suffered by combatants soon made it apparent that metal helmets, though long out of use, were absolutely necessary on the modern battlefield and that other forms of armor also should be explored. When the United States eventually entered World War I in 1917 it had no steel helmet. The American military turned to Dr. Bashford Dean, an American zoologist and armor expert who served on the board at both the New York Natural History Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to help design a helmet for the soldiers heading to France. However, these were still in the prototype phase, and the decision was made to adopt the British MkI Brodie Helmet instead. The British sent 400,000 helmets to the United States while production was ramped up, and the helmet was adopted as the M1917. However, the U.S. was not entirely happy with the design, and efforts were continued to make a U.S. designed helmet. Manufactured by the Hale and Kilburn Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, designer Dr. Brashford Dean considered this model to be the most effective of all prior designs in terms of protection, comfort, and ease of production. In April 1918, 5,000 units were shipped overseas for field trials but were much like the earlier Model 2, found to be unacceptable due to their resemblance to the German helmets in use at the time. The liner system as well as the chinstrap are missing. Overall a very nice example of one of the most rare helmets from the Great War Era.