Monthly Archives: May 2022

Belgian M31*

General Information: The Belgian Model 1931 replaced the French made Model 1915 as the main helmet of the Belgian army during the Second World War. The helmet was very similar to the French Model 1926, but it had a slightly different shape and an aluminum comb. The liner copied the design of the French M26.Continue reading “Belgian M31*”

Norwegian M31*

General Information: The Model 1931 was the helmet worn by Norwegian troops at the time of the Nazi invasion. It was initially manufactured in Sweden, but later was produced in Norway by the Raufoss A.F. company.[1] The M31 closely resembles the Swedish M26 except that it has a small crest on the top of theContinue reading “Norwegian M31*”

French M15 Engineer*

General Information: There were eight statutory badges authorized for use by different branches of the French armed forces in the First World War. The badge with a breast plate and helmet was for engineers (“genie”). (See French Model 1915) Displayed Example: I purchased this helmet this helmet in 2007 from Le Beret Vert in France.Continue reading “French M15 Engineer*”

Slovakian vz.32*

General Information: The Nazi puppet state of Slovakia was the first ally of Germany in the Second World War. It participated in the invasion of Poland and absorbed Polish territories into Slovakia’s newly formed state. The Slovakian army was equipped with vz.32 helmets from the former Czechoslovakian republic. The Slovakian helmets were the same asContinue reading “Slovakian vz.32*”

Romanian M15*

General Information: In late 1916 the Romanians ordered 200,000 Model 1915 helmets from the French, but only 90,000 were delivered. The helmets were painted blue and had the cipher of King Ferdinand I. The cipher consisted of a crown on top of two “Fs” placed back-to-back with a Roman numeral “I” in the middle.  InContinue reading “Romanian M15*”

Romanian M39*

General Information: In September 1938 the Romanians signed a contract with the Dutch company Verblifa (Vereenigde Blikfabrieken[1]) to produce helmets for their armed forces.[2] The helmet was an exact copy of the Dutch Model 1934 but for the badge which was egg shaped rather than oval shaped like the badge used in the Netherlands. TheContinue reading “Romanian M39*”

Finnish/Hungarian M38*

Historical Background: On the 30th of November 1939 Russia invaded Finland. Part of the Russian rationale for the invasion was that Finland had been part of Russia before the disintegration of the Russian empire, and by rights should be part the Imperial Russia’s successor, the Soviet Union. An ostensible aim of Russian aggression was toContinue reading “Finnish/Hungarian M38*”