helmet info

Italian helmet m/33

30000 helmets in Finnish use, 1941 - 1945

Green colour, shell 1,1 mm thick.

In early 1930's the Italian design was ahead of it's time. It was the first ball-shaped helmet, and had a new type of liner - fixed in the shell by three rivets with ventilation holes and sleeves. Liner was very flexible and gave a good protection.

During 1939-40 Winter war Italy was willing to sell war material to Finland. Between Winter war and Continuation war among other supplies Finland received also 30000 Italian m/33-helmets.

Finnish army used them during 1941-44 Continuation war.

After WWII Finland abandoned mixed and various kinds of models leaving only Hungarian/German models and some Finnish/Swedish type helmets in use.

Other models were for example sold to metal industry for raw material.

Czechoslovakian helmet m/34

50000 helmets in Finnish use, 1940 - 1945

Matt khaki varnish coat, weight around 1,1 kg.

Model designed in early 1930's, purpose was to protect from bullets. Oval shape with rounded sides to bounce back a bullet from every angle.

Shell of 1,1 mm thick chrome-nickel alloy steel.

Specially handled steel was elastic and could take a load up to 100 kg, so no edge-reinforcements were needed.

Liner had five leather cushions fastened with steel strips and cotter pins.

In spring of 1940 Finland bought 50000 helmets offered by a privat commercial broker.

Helmets were used during Continuation war.

Swedish helmet m/21

8000 m/21 and m/26 helmets in Finnish use, 1941 - 1945

Sweden started production of a national model soon after WWI.

First m/21 was ball-shaped, it had a broad rim, sfiffening ridge at the top and national emblem on front.

In a couple of years Sweden introduced a new model, which was more oval shaped.

Colour of this new version was light greenish blue, it was made of cromo-nickel steel, and the shell was 1,1 mm thick.

Liner was of German type with three leather pads.

Photographs show that Finnish troops had some of these helmets from summer 1941.

Apparently Swedish Winter war volunteers had left them behind for Finnish use.

Finnish army had roughly 8000 Swedish m/21 and m/26-type helmets.

Helmets were used during the Continuation War.

Swedish helmet m/26

8000 m/21 and m/26 helmets in Finnish use, 1941 - 1945

In mid 1920's Sweden developed a new model based on m/21 helmet.

It had no pressed sfiffening ridge or national emblem, also liner was fixed in a new way.

This version is unofficially called as m/26.

Helmets were made by Eskilstuna Stålprssnings Ab (ESAB), Eskilstuna Plåtförändring Ab (EPAB) and Ab Baltic Södertälje.

Among about 8000 Finnish used Swedish m/21 models most were m/26 versions.

Helmets were abondened after WWII.

Swedish helmet m/37

20000 helmets in Finnish use, 1941 - perhaps early 1970's

Sweden renewed her helmet model again in 1930's, the new ball-shaped m/37 was one of the most advanced and best models of it's time.

Helmets were made of Sandviken steel in three deep-hauling phases followed by annealing and calibration to right shape.

Colour was matt grey or olive green.

Liner consisted of three padding cushions.

Finland ordered in spring 1941 20000 helmets from Sweden through Perma Company, they arrived during summer of 1941.

Model was used throughout Continuation war, after WWII some of m/37 helmets stayed in service along with similar Finnish m/40 model.

Only in the beginning of 1950's Finnish army aimed to standardize helmet models. Troops were to wear either German/Hungarian or Finnish/Swedish type helmets.

Finnish helmet m/40

75000 helmets in Finnish use, 1941 - perhaps early 1970's

Finnish helmet production started in 1940, with the help of Swedish patent.

Helmets were made of Swedish steel with the same methods as Swedish m/37, tools were supplied by Bofors.

Helmet m/40 was manufactured by Wärtsilä Oy, liners were prodeced by Friitalan Nahka.

Colour was olive green, helmets were made in four different sizes.

In 1940 Finnish army made an order of 70000 helmets.

The order was continued in 1944, then Wärtsilä produced 5000 helmets more.

M/40 was most common helmet model in Continuation war along with Hungarian m/38.

After WWII some 6000 "Finnish" type helmets stayed in service, consisting models m/37 and m/40.

In 1947 Kone ja Silta Company bought back 50000 m/40 helmets that they had earlier manufactured, they were converted to kettles.

Russian helmet m/36

Soviet Union renewed it's helmet model in 1930's, m/36 had features from German and French helmets.

Liner was a textile hood with sweatband, with corrugated iron strips to absorb shocks.

Colour was dark green, infantry helmets had a red star with sickle and hammer in front.

Finland got some as war booty, but only few were taken in service.

Model 1936 was not used in Finnish army, partly because it's strength was questionable, partly because most helmets captured during Winter war had no liners.

State Rifle Factory (VKT) might have refurbished a batch of m/36 helmets for civil defence use.

Russian helmets m/39 and m/40

About 30000 helmets in Finnish use, 1941 - 1944

When the Great Patriotic War broke out the Soviet Union already had a new helmet model in use.

M/39 was quite modern, third ball-shaped helmet after Italian and Swedish models.

Colour was moss-green, weight 1 kg, some helmets had a red star with sickle and hammer in front.

Liner was a simplified Italian-type construction, but also some textile hood liners were used.

Finnish army had in use a limited amount of Soviet helmets at the end of Continuation war.

Finland had about 34700 war booty Soviet helmets, most of them m/40's. About 20000 helmets were repaired for Finnish troops.

Russian helmets were used where there was only little chance of confusion; coastal units, in the navy and among anti-aircraft crews.

Armoured units might have had some Russian helmets too.

Soviet models disappeared immediately after Continuation war.

Russian m/40

Renewed m/40 was more ball-shaped than m/39, and the shell was a bit thicker.

Instead of element contruction liner the m/40 had three cushions and pads made of artificial leather.

Even infantry helmets had no longer a red star with sickle and hammer on front.

Model was used in Soviet Union long until it was replaced in the 1960's by a new improved model m/60.

German helmet m/35-42

More than 50000 German helmets m/35, m/35-40 and m/35-42 in Finnish use, 1941 - 1970's

Germany had simplified production methods of m/35 already in 1940. M/35-40 was made of molybdenum alloy steel. Ventilation holes were reinforced with pressed elevations around them instead of sleeves.

New colour was field-grey, some helmets were coated with roughening powder.

In 1942 production was simplified again by abandoning the folding-down of the brims. Borders were just cut to size and rounded even.

The shell of m/35-42 was thickened by 0,1 mm to 1,2-1,25 mm.

Different versions of German m/35 came to Finland on several occasions, all together at least 50000 helmets.

During summer of 1943 Finland received 24282 German helmets, including lots of model m/35-42, they can be found in photographs from autumn 1943.

In summer 1944 Finland got another batch of German helmets, most of them m/35-40 model.

German m/35-42's stayed in Finnish use long after WWII as part of about 65000 German type helmets; (including Hungarian m/38's and other German m/35-models).

Finnish army had also small amounts of Polish (about 1000 pieces), Danish etc helmets in use during Continuation war.

Finnish used helmets 1941-45