General Information: In August of 1942 the German Army High Command announced that the inward crimping of the helmet rim was to be abandoned.[1] This presumedly was done to eliminate a step in the manufacturing process in order to increase efficiency and reduce cost. The helmets produced following this order are referred to by collectorsContinue reading “German M42*”
Tag Archives: WW2
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*”
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*”
Steel Helmets of the World Wars 