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United States. M1 M1943 helmet of the 338th General Hospital with camouflage net, used during the Second World War and reused in the postwar period.
The liner bears the marking of Westinghouse Electric Company from the 1943–1944 period. It retains much of the original decals of the 338th General Hospital and remnants of a Major’s rank insignia on the front. The sweatband is a later replacement from the 1980s, the final years in which the M1 steel helmet remained in service before becoming obsolete.
The 338th General Hospital was activated during the Second World War as part of the United States Army Medical Department. The unit was organized at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, in 1942 and deployed to the European Theater of Operations. During the war, the 338th provided vital medical care to wounded soldiers, operating field hospitals and supporting combat operations. After the end of hostilities, the unit was deactivated but was later reconstituted in the Army Reserve, continuing its legacy of medical support.
The steel shell is marked “1264F” from the manufacturer McCord Radiator Company, and the rim has a rear seam, produced in the early 1950s.
M1 M1943 helmets manufactured during the Second World War were reused in the Korean War and even in the Vietnam War, finally becoming obsolete in the 1980s with the introduction of the PASGT Kevlar helmet.
