The Brodie helmets came in a variety of designs. The following is an analysis of one of those helmets. Detailed photographs and terminology are given to provide the enthusiast and collector with a better understanding of this fascinating aspect of militaria.

While the item discussed here may not be available for sale, you can see our inventory of British helmets that are by going to our web store.

The start of WWII caught the United States armed forces unprepared. The vast majority of the military was using a WWI helmet. Minor changes, primarily to the liner, were made to the after WWI. Shortly after the attack to Pearl Harbor the M-1 helmet was adopted. The hook and latch system employed by the chin strap was made of metal. The same design was carried over through half of WWII. The material for the chin strap was switched from leather to canvis. Two "D" rings were present. One riveted to the helmet body. The other attached to the liner itself. The helmets were marked in a variety of ways. The example shown here has two types of markings. One of them is painted in black and indicates the unit to which the soldier was assigned. The second marking is stamped.

If you have an interest is seeing other American headgear, you can do so by going to our American helmets identification guide. Where we cover Army, Navy, Air Force and other organizations from various time periods.

This service is provided free of charge to the visitor/enthusiast courtesy of MilitaryItems.com , a company dedicated to the preservation of military history and to providing quality military antiques and collectibles to museums, institutions and the general public.