Original U.S. WWI Balloon Service Complete M1917 Helmet with Balloon Wings Scratched Into Finish - Attributed to J.J. Pecker, 27th Balloon Company

Item DescriptionOriginal Item. Only One Available. Initially, the United States purchased 400,000 British Mark I helmets to equip the American Expeditionary Forces in 1917, and those units which were to integrate with French formations were provided with Adrian helmets. The first US-made copies of the Mark I were supplied before the end of 1917 and some 2,700,000 had been made by the end of the war. The M1917 differed little from the British original; different rivets were used to secure the liner, the wire loop onto which the chinstrap was fixed was thicker and the rubber 'doughnut' pad was not adopted. However, the US manufacturers were able to produce a shell with better ballistic protection than the original.This is a lovely M1917 helmet with a small tag attributing it to a J.J. Pecker of the 27th Balloon Company. The 27th was organized in February 1918, stationed at Waco, Texas, and several other locations before the war ended. After the war it was reconstituted as a balloon coastal defense company, then being sent to Kindley Field, Philippines from 1919-1922.The underside of the brim is stampedZG37, indicating that the shell is a U.S. manufactured shell, and not British. The solid rivet attaching the chin-strap bale further confirms this.The liner is complete but the chinstrap is detached from one side of the liner, though it is mostly intact otherwise.A very nice Balloonist M1917 helmet, ready for further research and display.Shipping RestrictionsThis product is available for international shipping.Payment OptionsEligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle