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. In 1923 the Romanian army adopted khaki as the color of their uniform and the helmets were painted the same color. In 1930 King Carol II became king and a new cipher consisting of two back-to-back “Cs” was applied to M15 helmets.[1]
Displayed Example: I bought this helmet from Regimentals in the UK. It is complete and appears to have never been tampered with post-war. The original owner’s name is partly visible in the dome: “Dale[?].” It is a size B, or medium size.
Collector Notes: This is a scarce helmet. There are a number of fakes circulating in the collector market and some of these are convincing. Look for mismatches between the color of the badge and the rest of the helmet. Check also for signs of tampering around the edges of the badge. If it looks suspect, examine the prongs that attach the badge to the helmet in the interior. These should match the color and patina of the rest of the helmet dome and should not have scratches or evidence of repeated bending. Do this very carefully, however, so as not to damage the liner.
[1] Dagnas. 1984. pp218-219
Steel Helmets of the World Wars 