Korean War Five Panel Combat Medic M1 Helmet Liner

A truly compelling example of a Combat Medic’s M1 helmet liner from the Korean War period. The liner is marked to both Westinghouse and CAPAC, with interior web straps in OD#7 material. The exterior of the liner has the darker olive drab paint scheme with five separate hand painted Red Cross emblems on the liner: one on each side; one on the front and the back; and one on top of the liner. The exterior paint would rate as approximately 75% intact. The interior of the liner shows definite wear under adverse conditions, with one broken web strap in the crown, breaks in the side straps, and a nape band that has separated at one end from its “A” mount. Overall this helmet liner makes a dramatic appearance, and the wear and evident use are reflective of the fact that Combat Medics frequently wore only their helmet liners as headgear when they reached one of the Battalion Aid or Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals located not far behind the front lines.