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WWI US Army 33rd Division Doughboy Helmet - All Original

$ 157.87

Availability: 62 in stock
  • Original/Reproduction: Original
  • All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
  • Condition: Used

    Description

    WWI US Army 33rd Division Helmet - All Original.
    This WWI original helmet is desirable & highly collectible. No attempts to clean this item have been made. It shows wear as seen in the photos. It has the original headliner and all of the strings/ropes are intact. It does not have the chinstrap. The only personalization is a “17” written on the brim.
    Nicknamed, "Illinois Division"; "Prairie Division"; & "Golden Cross Division; the 33rd Division was the only distinctly Illinois division that saw active service in France. Activated in July 1917 as a National Guard Division from Illinois at Camp Logan, Illinois, it began operations in France in May 1918.
    The division fought in Le Hamel, the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the Somme offensive, & at St. Michel.
    From the 33rd arriving in France to the German armistice on 11 November 1918, the division captured 13 units of heavy artillery & 87 pieces of light artillery. Also, they captured 460 machine guns & 430 light guns. In total, the entire division gained 40,300 meters of land in World War I. The 33rd Division was the only unit in the war to have machine gun barrage enemy nests while infantry turned the position. In total, the 33rd Division received 215 American decorations, 56 British decorations, & various others.
    As result of its World War I service, the division remains the only US Army division that has fought as part of the British Army & the French Army corps.
    After the end of hostilities, it returned to Illinois, and was deactivated on May, 1919, at Camp Grant in Rockford.