McCord Radiator & Mfg., Company During World War Two
Detroit, MI
1906-1944
9-29-1944 - Mid 1985 as the McCord Corporation
Mid 1985 - Unknown date as a subsidiary of Ex-Cell-O Corporation

This page added 6-6-2023.

The opening scene from the 1962 movie "The Longest Day" featured the ubiquitous American M1 helmet.  The M1 helmet and the American servicemen and servicewomen of World War Two were most identifiable as Americans when wearing this helmet.  Its distinct design and shape identified Americans in every combat theater during World War Two.

Most likely, this M1 helmet was produced by the McCord Radiator and Manufacturing Company of Detroit, MI.  The company produced 89% of all M1 helmets during World War Two. 

This view of an LCVP making its way ashore at Normandy only shows the back of the soldiers heads and shoulders.  However, the distinctive M1 helmet immediately identifies them as American soldiers. 

Members of this 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun crew in this full scale diorama of loading the weapon at Dreger Airfield in northeast New Guinea during World War Two can be identified as Americans by their M1 helmets.  Several of the crew members are not in full uniform due to the heat.  However, they are all wearing their M1 helmets.

U.S. Navy and U.S. Coastguardsmen also wore the M1 helmet.  Two of the four-man crew of this LCVP can be seen wearing the M1 helmet.  Most likely, these are members of the U.S. Coast Guard, as they were the ones that manned most of the small landing craft during World War Two.

When was the M1 helmet more than a just a helmet?  This was whenever the wearer was not in a combat situation.  The steel pot, as it was more well known to its wearers, had many other uses. 

Shaving was one of the most popular uses of the M1 steel helmet.  In this particular example two steel pots have been set up.  One could be for clean water and the other for soapy water.  Or one could be for shaving and the other for washing.

Cooking was another popular use for the steel pot.  My father boiled potatoes in his steel pot while serving with the 88th Division in Italy during World War Two.  My father and his buddies came across a a group of unharvested potatoes.  They boiled them in their pots to get something to eat.  Like many other infantrymen and other soldiers on the front lines, my father was not getting enough to eat.  In spite of all of the motorized transportation for which American forces were known during World War Two, soldiers and Marines on the front lines were hungry much of the time.  The food was not making it to front line positions that were difficult to reach from the supply areas and mess tents.

This image from the 88th Division area of operations shows a mule sharing the muddy road with two GMC CCKWs and a jeep.  There were many places in the mountains that a motorized vehicle could not go, but a mule could.

The pack mule was more widely utilized than in just the Italian Campaign of World War Two.  Two thousand were used in Tunisia to delivere supplies to troops located on the remote front lines where even a jeep couldn't go.  They were also used in New Guinea, China, and Burma.  In the last year of World War Two, the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps purchased 20,000 mules.  For my father in Italy, a pack mule like this may have kept him and his buddies from starving in the Italian mountains.  Author's photo from the National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir, VA.

But I have digressed.  Now back to the McCord Radiator Company and how it helped to win World War Two.

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The McCord Radiator & Mfg. Company won the Navy "E" award one time, and the award was converted to the Army-Navy "E" award when it was awarded the second time.  In total, the McCord Radiator & Mfg. Company won the award six times during World War Two.

The company's first award was the Navy "E" Award on March 27, 1942.
The company's second award was the Army-Navy "E" Award on August 30, 1942.
 The company's third award was the Army-Navy "E" Award on February 26, 1943.
The company's fourth award was the Army-Navy "E" Award on October 30, 1943.
The date of the fifth award is unknown but estimated to have been in April or May 1944.
 The date of the sixth award is unknown but estimated to have been in late 1944 or early 1945.

There were 1,000 employees who attended the first award ceremony on March 27, 1942.  It is of interest that the first award the company won was the Navy "E" flag.  While McCord is best known for being the largest producer of steel helmets ordered by the U.S. Army, it was the development and production of machine gun ammunition link machines for the U.S. Navy that generated its first award.  This McCord World War Two product is not as well-known as its helmet production, but for the U.S. Navy, it was a key product.

The company added 500 employees in 1942 as there were 1,500 employees that attended the second award ceremony on August 30, 1942. 

McCord Radiator & Mfg. Company World War Two Products:  The company is most well known for being the primary supplier of M1 helmets for the U.S. military during World War Two.  While it produced 90% of the M1 helmets for the war effort, Table 1 shows that helmets were only 59% of the major contracts the company was awarded during the war. 

Of interest in the major contracts is that according to Table 1, the U.S. Navy did not issue any contracts to the company over $50,000 until January 1942.  Yet on March 27, 1942, the U.S. Navy awarded the company an "E" Award for "production achievements on Navy ordnance material."  Most of the Navy's contracts with McCord Radiator were for machinery, most of it for loading machines.  It appears that McCord had several contracts less than $50,000 for this of type equipment and was doing an excellent job in getting it to the Navy on time and in the quantities required. 

• Helmets for Army, Navy, Civilian  Defense, and some Allies.

• Large Linking Machines of Intricate Design, Smaller Field Machines, and Hand Linkers.

• Projectiles for High Explosives.

• Flame Traps for Marine and Aviation engines.
  
  The company also produced spark plug gaskets for the jeep. 

World War Two Steel Helmets:
The next four photos were taken at the Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society in Eastpointe, MI.  Among its many excellent displays, this museum has a display on the Michigan companies that made the World War Two M1 steel helmet and plastic helmet liner.  A trip to the Historical Society got me interested in the McCord Radiator and Mfg. Company and its contributions to the winning for World War Two. 

This 1944 era McCord-built M1 helmet was found in the 1990's in a civil defense warehouse.  It is a brand new and unused helmet.  Author's photo.

Author's photo.

It took multiple strikes with progressive dies to produce the final steel helmet.  Author's photo.

Sometimes the material tore during the process.  Author's photo.

Table 3 shows the maximum scheduled production for 1945 was in the months of May and June.  Assuming the company was on a seven day production schedule in May 1945, it was scheduled to produce 12,903 M1 helmets per day.  If it had cut back to a five day a week production schedule, it would have produced 17,391 per day.

Production would have ended in the middle of August 1945 with the cessation of hostilities with Japan.  Production for 1945 would have been approximately 2,707,000 units.
 

Earlier I stated that the American soldier during World War Two could be identified by his M1 helmet.  This is not entirely correct.  Troops in overseas locations at the start of World War Two were still equipped with the M1917 helmet.  This was based on the British helmet of World War One and also used by the British Commonwealth soldiers during World War Two.  This mannequin on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Riverside, OH depicts a former airman who was turned into infantryman in the Philippines.  The soldiers in the Philippines called themselves "The Battling Bastards of Bataan."  Many of those that weren't killed in combat died in the Bataan Death March or in POW camps during the war. Author's photo.

Unlike the M1 helmet of World War Two, there was no helmet liner and the suspension was attached to the inside of the steel helmet.  U.S. Marines at the Battle of Midway in June 1942 were also equipped with the Model M1917 helmet.  However, when the Marine First Division landed at Guadalcanal August 7, 1942, its Marines were equipped with the M1 Helmet.  From that time forward, American servicemen and women were equipped with the M1 helmet.  McCord Radiator was not involved with the manufacture of the M1917 helmet.  Author's photo.
 

There were several variations of the M1 helmet during World War Two.  Two of them are shown here in this display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.  This display shows several helmets that were produced for bomber air crew head protection during World War Two.  From left to right there is the M2A2, the M5, the M1, and the M3 helmets.  Author's photo.

The standard M1 helmet was the first type worn by bomber crews.  However, this was not optimal as it did not fit properly over the crewmen's headphones.  Also, there was not enough room in the ball turret for it to be worn by the gunner in that position.  However, it was what was available and expedient.  Author's photo.

McCord made 210,000 of these between 1942 and 1944.  It had its own built-in suspension system and did not need a helmet liner.  It also had an exterior flock coating to keep the airman's skin from sticking to the helmet at the freezing temperatures to which they were subjected.  This example in the display at the museum was hit by flak.  The wearer survived the attack.  Author's photo.

The M4A2 series bomber crew helmets were not produced by the McCord Radiator & Mfg. Company.  However, this helmet is important in the lineage of protective helmets designed specifically for use by bomber crews.  They were of three piece steel construction with the helmet and two ear flaps.  They were cloth covered to help keep the wearer warmer than with just a steel helmet.  Author's photo.

The last of the series of helmets for bomber crews was the M5 series of helmets.  These had longer ear flaps for more side protection for the wearer.  McCord made an unknown number of these starting in January 1945.  Author's photo.

This and the following photo show a McCord-built M3 helmet that is on display at the National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir, VA.  Author's photo.

Author's photo.

This image of the inside of an M3 flak helmet shows how the webbing was attached to the interior of the helmet. 

The McCord Radiator & Mfg. Company was the only supplier of 400,000 M2 talker helmets for the U.S. Navy.  This rare example is on display at the Central Ohio Military Museum in Harrisburg, OH.  Author's photo. 

The helmet was large enough so the operator could wear a set of headphones inside the helmet.  Author's photo.

The McCord-produced M2 talker helmet was used for many years after World War Two by the U.S. Navy.  This photo shows two talkers on the USS Missouri during the Korean War.  

Author's photo from the National Infantry Museum.

While production of the M1 helmet began at the McCord Radiator and Mfg. Company, initial development took place at the former Fort Benning, GA.  Author's photo from the National Infantry Museum.

Author's photo from the National Infantry Museum.

Body Armor:

The company also made armored vests for Army Ordnance during World War Two.  The company had two different contracts for the product that comprised 8.6% of its total contracts.  This body armor on display at the Veterans Memorial Museum in Germantown, OH, is the type that bomber gunners were issued.  Author's photo.

This body armor was issued to bomber crew members whose functions in the bombers required them to sit.  This body armor is not as bulky as the gunner armor.  This example is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.  Author's photo. 

Link Loading Machines:  McCord won its first E Award for the development and production of linking loading machines for the U.S. Navy.  This was the second largest product group the company manufactured after the M1 series of steel helmets.  It had seven contracts from the U.S. Navy valued at $6,504,000 for this type of product.  There are several types of Navy linking machines shown below.  While only one  example of a Type M-2 produced by McCord has been found, the company most likely developed and produced the other types of linking machines shown below.

This image shows a McCord Radiator & Mfg. Company-built .50 caliber hand linking machine. 

The name McCord is on the bottom of the cast iron base. 

Rockets:  McCord also had five contracts valued at $3,515,000 for rocket motor production during the later stages of World War Two. 

The Mark 2 was a 2.25 inch subcaliber aircraft practice rocket.  It had all of the ballistic characteristics of the larger 3.5 inch and 5 inch rockets but was more cost effective for training purposes.  McCord had one contract late in World War Two for $280,000 to produce rocket motor for this practice device.

Other Country's World War Two Helmets:  The National Infantry Museum at Fort Moore, GA has several displays that show the helmets the British Commonwealth, German, and Italian soldiers wore during World War Two.  This section gives a comparison of the different styles of helmets used by these countries during the war.

This display shows the Allies' uniforms.  The British Commonwealth soldier is on the left side of the display.  Unfortunately, the Russian soldier in this display is wearing only a soft garrison type hat on rather than a helmet.  Author's photo.

This display shows the Axis soldiers.  Author's photo.

For completeness, I have included a display of an American soldier.  Author's photo.

The McCord Radiator & Mfg. Company's World War Two Factory:  The factory was located at 2587 East Grand Blvd. in the Milwaukee Junction industrial area of Detroit.  From the Google Maps views shown below, the former plant has been largely razed. 

There is still one building standing along E Milwaukee Avenue and the railroad tracks.  This could be the only remnant of the former McCord Radiator and Mfg. Company factory complex.  

This street view shows the building along East Milwaukee Avenue. 

This view shows the plant was north of I-94 and east of I-75, which is not marked in this photo.