Archive for February 2024
A Short History of the German Steel Helmet of the Great War
In the early months of 1916 the surviving members of a small squad of German soldier huddled in the sordid recesses of a French shell hole somewhere in the proximity of Verdun. White hot shrapnel, fragments of rock, splinters of wood and earth careened overhead as French artillery shells burst overhead. The men drew their…
Read MoreThe truth about the camouflaged helmets of the Great War
If there is one aspect that draws contention about the history of Great War helmets it is probably the use of hand painted camouflage patterns. Discussions often rage on forums and Facebook pages about this topic. The disagreement usually centers around whether or not these camouflage patterns were used in the trenches. Those that believe…
Read MoreThe M42 German helmet, the End of an Era
More Helmets for an Expanding War The German helmet of World War II is often broken down for distinction in three different models. The M35, M40 and M42. In truth according to the German high command there was only one model, the Model 35, so called because the first years of production was in 1935. The other models,…
Read MoreWhat’s inside II, German Helmet Liners 1940-1945
War Brings Changes During any war the uniforms and equipment used by the military inevitably will go through changes. Certainly this was true of much of the equipment utilized by the German armed forces during WWII. These changes would include helmet liners. Between 1940 and 1945 the German M31 helmet liner would see several modifications. Many of these changes…
Read MoreAfrika Tan, The German helmet of the North Africa Campaign
A Helmet for a Desert Front When Adolf Hitler agreed to send an expeditionary force to North Africa to shore up his beleaguered Italian ally, it was understood by the German military planners that the conditions which this force would be fighting in were different than any front the Germans had hither to served in. North Africa…
Read MoreWhat’s inside, German helmet liners 1920-1940
A New Liner for a New Era As the German Reichswehr slogged it’s way through the turbulence of the 1920s, supply issues were a constant concern. With the armistice of the Great War and subsequence treaty of Versailles, Germany had been forced to sell off or destroy much of it’s military equipment such as steel helmets. Immediately after the end of the Great…
Read MoreAn American Helmet in China, The helmet of the China Marines 1927-1941
U.S. Marines in China On the 21st of March 1927, Stirling Fessenden, the American chairman of Shanghai’s International Settlement’s Municipal Council, issued a declaration of emergency. Generalissimo Chang Kai Shek’s Nationalist army was marching toward Shanghai. For several years China had been experiencing spasms of violence as the factions of warlords, gangsters, Nationalists, and Communists…
Read MoreUnderstanding WWII German helmet insignia
There maybe no more iconic item from the Second World War than the double decal German helmet. Most people, even those who know little about the history of WWII can easily recognize one of these helmets. From the comical Sargent Schultz of Hogan’s Hero’s fame to more recent films Hollywood has cemented the double decal…
Read MoreThe Helmet with the Grinning Skull. A Short History of the Danzig Police Helmet
Fight for the Post Office At 4 am on September 1, 1939 German sappers cut the power to Danzig’s Post Office plunging it’s Polish staff into total darkness. No doubt a fitting act foreshadowing the dark times Poland would soon endure. World War II had just officially started, and the Free City of Danzig was about to be in the middle of the war. The now…
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