World War Two – Page 5 – Steel Helmets of the World Wars

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*”

Soviet SSh-40

General Information: The SSh-40[1] was the most widely used helmet in the history of the Red Army and was the basic helmet of the Soviet soldier in the Second World War. The SSh-40 was an improvement over the previous model, the SSh-39. Externally the helmets are nearly identical, but the SSh-40 had a liner systemContinue reading “Soviet SSh-40”

Japanese Type 90*

General Information: The Type 90 helmet is named after the year of its design using the Japanese Imperial year system called “kōki.” Ninety is shorthand for kōki year 2590 which corresponds to 1930 in the Gregorian calendar. For this reason, the helmet is also referred to as the Model 1930 or Model 1930-32. The TypeContinue reading “Japanese Type 90*”

German M35*

General Information: The German Model 1935 was the first of a series of three basic models of helmets used by German soldiers during the Third Reich era. During the Weimar and early Nazi era German soldiers used reissued M16/17/18 type helmets. These were good helmets, but the new design addressed certain flaws of their predecessors,Continue reading “German M35*”

Italian M33

General Information: The Italian M33 was the main helmet used by Italian armed forces throughout the Second World War. It was designed by an engineer named Nicola Leszl. The helmets were made of a strong nickel and steel alloy. The liners were brown leather mounted on a steel harness. The helmet sizes were stamped intoContinue reading “Italian M33”