Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Co., Philadelphia 1,150,775 Sparks, Withington Co., Jackson, Mich. 473,469 Crosby Co., Buffalo, N. Y. 469,968 Bossett Corporation, Utica, N. Y. 116,735 Columbian Enameling & Stamping Co., Terre Haute, Ind. 268,850 Worcester Pressed Steel Co., Worcester, Mass. 193,840 Benjamin Electric Co., Des Plaines, Ill. 33,600 --------- Total 2,707,237 The metal helmets and the woven linings were delivered to the plant of the Ford Motor Co. at Philadelphia, where they were painted and assembled. The helmets were painted in the olive-drab shade for protective coloring. While on dull days such objects could not be discerned at a great distance, in bright weather their rounded surfaces might catch and reflect sunbeams, thus betraying the positions of their wearers. To guard against this, as soon as the helmets were treated to a first coat of paint fine sawdust was blown upon the wet surface. When this had dried, another coat of paint was applied, and a nonreflective, gritty surface was thus produced. [Illustration: AMERICAN EXPERIMENTAL MODELS OF HELMETS, LIGHT BREASTPLATES, AND ARM GUARDS.] [Illustration: American Helmet. Experimental Model No. 2.] [Illustration: American Helmet No. 8. (Visor up.)] [Illustration: AMERICAN LIGHT BACK PLATE. EXPERIMENTAL MODEL.] [Illustration: AMERICAN HEAVY ARMOR FOR MACHINE GUNNERS. EXPERIMENTAL MODEL 1917.] We began receiving substantial quantities of finished helmets by the end of November of the first year of the war. On February 17, 1918, practically 700,000 had been shipped abroad or were ready for shipment at the ports of embarkation. Later in the spring of 1918, when we began sending men to France much beyond our earlier expectations, the orders for helmets were greatly expanded. In July the total orders reached 3,000,000, in August 6,000,000, and in September 7,000,000. This would give us enough to meet all requirements until June, 1919. When the armistice was signed the factories were producing more than 100,000 helmets every four days, and were rapidly approaching the time when their daily output would be 60,000. The Government canceled all helmet contracts as soon as the fighting ceased, having received up to that time a total of 2,700,000 of them. While this manufacture was going on we were developing helmets of our own. Major Dean went to France to collect information dealing with the actual needs of the service and to present numerous experimental models of helmets for the comment and criticism of the General Staff. In numerous cases these models were accepted for manufacture here in experimental lots.