General Information: The British Mark III was designed to address deficiencies of its predecessor, the Mark II, which was basically the same helmet used in the First World War. That helmet had been effective in preventing injuries in trench warfare conditions where shrapnel falling from above was the main hazard. From the earliest stages ofContinue reading “British MKIII*”
Tag Archives: World War 2
Polish wz.31*
Revised 12/4/2025 General Information[1]: The Polish wz.31 was produced from 1932 to 1939 by three factories which bore large font black ink stamps identifying the manufacturer as follows: Below the manufacturer stamp, the wz.31 helmets have typically had a two-digit serial number used for quality control. Below that there is normally a two-digit number representingContinue reading “Polish wz.31*”
SSh-39*
General Information: The SSh-39 replaced the SSh-36. Together with the SSh-40 it was the main helmet used by the Soviet soldier during the Second World War. The liner design carried over from the SSh-40, although early-production versions of the helmet had a black oil cloth liner. The helmets initially had Red Army stars stenciled onContinue reading “SSh-39*”
SSH-36*
General Information: The SSh-36 was the first full production military helmet of the Soviet era. Production began in 1936 and ended in 1939 when the SSh-39 was introduced. The helmet was first used in combat by Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War. The first major use of the helmet by the Soviets was inContinue reading “SSH-36*”
Chinese M35*
General Information: Why is a Nazi helmet in the World War Two Allied Powers section? It is one of the ironies of the Second World War that the Republic of China was supported by both the Germans and the Allies, although German support wound down after the Second Sino Japanese War in 1937 and endedContinue reading “Chinese M35*”
German M40*
General Information: The German “Model 1940” is a collector term to describe a wartime modified version of the Model 1935. In March of 1940 the German Army issued a bulletin that mandated “helmets of the army will receive a coating of slate-grey paint, the exterior of which will be slightly roughened.” In addition, the bulletinContinue reading “German M40*”
FJ M38*
General Information: The Model 1938 helmet was the standard helmet of the German fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) in the Second World War. It was preceded by the now very rare Model 1936 and Model 1937 paratroop models which can be readily identified by the slots in the shell which were intended for a chinstrap configuration. Early M38sContinue reading “FJ M38*”
US M-1 Fixed Bale*
General Information: At the outbreak of the Second World War American soldiers were equipped with the M-1917A1, which was an updated version of the M-1917 helmet used by US armed forces in the First World War. Because of inadequacies of this helmet, the army sought to develop a new model. In late 1940 the USContinue reading “US M-1 Fixed Bale*”
British MKII*
General Information: The British MKII was helmet most widely used by British soldiers in the Second World War. Ultimately twelve million were produced from 1938 to 1944.[1] Commonwealth countries Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and South Africa each produced their own version of the MKII. The MKII, or copies thereof, continued to see service inContinue reading “British MKII*”
French M26*
General Information: The French Model 1926 helmet was the main helmet used by French armed forces in the second world war. A large number of reissued Model 1915 helmets were also used. A transitional helmet, the Model 1923, was issued in limited numbers. In addition to the M26, specialty helmets were issued for armored, antiaircraft,Continue reading “French M26*”
Steel Helmets of the World Wars 