Can someone wearing a steel helmet (WWII vintage?) be lifted off the ground by one of those electromagnetic lifters/cranes used in junk yards?

no because the helmet strap would just snap

im not sure it would snap

early helmets had leather straps so its all down to the breaking strain of 2mm x 1 inch wide leather. i would say possibly depending on the persons weight

British parachute forces during WWII used a steel helmet, (pudding basin style!), with reinforced webbing straps with a chin cup - there are recorded instances of soldiers whose helmets got caught in the zip lines of previous jumpers hanging for some time in the aircraft's slipstream and getting a broken neck in the process - so the webbing straps clearly supported their weight. Unfortunately, however, based on this evidence, it also seems possible that anyone lifted in this way by a junkyard electromagnet might actually suffer the same fate.

i think myth busters should test this one some people say yes some say no so i thin it depends normal soilders no but parachutes yes i love the war well not the killingbut the history and wepons but i have few army helmets and the parachutes is about 10 times stronger then the soilders so it is posible but the person would die tho