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USMC Items Of
Collector
Interest
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Model M1917 Helmet
The liner is missing and the helmet “punched” in order to secure the rank insignia. The helmet is marked (named) in 1” letters with white ink on the inside rim, to Capt Homer Ellis USMC. This helmet is an important piece of transitional equipment from the “old Corps” to the new, the dividing line being the advent of the war in the pacific and a further reflection of the customs of an earlier generation of fighting Marines being continued by men who may have also served in the previous war.
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At the beginning of the U. S. involvement in WWII, the U.S. Marine Corps were still using the M1917 helmet (refitted). Marines were wearing this type at Wake Island when the Japanese invaded. The Marine Raiders were undoubtedly using the same helmet when formed and although there is no documentation supporting use during Island Operations, here is an early example with insignia and a “killer” of a paint job. It appears that the stars and skull in the design were first scratch-drawn and then painted. It is done in the likeness of the newly adopted First Marine Amphibious Corps Insignia(s).