Tag Archives: WWII

Yugoslavian M39*

General Information: The Yugoslavian Model 1939 was a locally made copy of the Czechoslovakian vz.32. Very little documentation exists on this very rare helmet type and much of what we know about the M39 has been surmised by collectors. The helmets were produced, or at least assembled, in Yugoslavia, presumably under license from the Czechoslovakians.Continue reading “Yugoslavian M39*”

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*”

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 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*”

German M42*

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*”

British MKIII*

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*”

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*”