Royal Dutch Army M.53 steel helmet

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 Dutch treat II 
 

 

"Haven't I met you somewhere before?"

Ruggedly handsome, straightforward and reliable, the American M1 helmet design 

is a lot like Don Draper

 

The design was adopted by numerous "free world" countries following the Second World War.

These European "clones" are to the US M1 as muppet Guy Smiley is to Don Draper;  ruggedly handsome, straightforward and reliable...

yet slightly different.

Below are Royal Dutch Army soldiers of the 1970s and 80s wearing the M.53

 

(cool 'stash, bro)

The NATO M.53 is nearly identical to the US M1 in appearance and utility, with a few differences.

I particularly like the Dutch combination of camouflage covering their version of the NATO M.53.

There is quite a lot of versatility in this combination starting with the non-reflective burlap.

A net with a wrapped cord covers the burlap allowing foliage to further 

break up the profile of the helmet.

 

The whole affair is snugly held in place by a piece of rubber inner-tube.

As with the US M1 the separate liner is held in place by an auxiliary chinstrap.  Although executed in webbing the rolling-cam adjustment buckle is a dead-ringer for the American version...

 as is the stud and garter-style fasteners attaching the strap to the inside of the liner.

Similar to the American version, the M53 chinstrap is made of cotton webbing however the European twist is in the fastening buckle.

Unlike the American "claw and arrow" this fastener  sends a sprung claw into a slotted adjusting buckle, which I find not nearly as handy as the M1 version.

No surprise with the clips fastening the strap to the bales, this is nearly identical to the G.I. T1 chinstrap clip

The plastic (rather than US fiber) liner has a suspension that's a near dead-ringer for the American version save for the manner in which the sweat band "snaps" on to the inner suspension band.

The M1-family nape strap mirrors the M1...

as do the "arrow" washers that secure the webbing to the liner shell.

The sole marking on this helmet is this embossment in the dome of the liner.

Inside an out this Dutch version of the NATO version of the M1 is a solid, well-engineered, and soldierly helmet which held the line against generations of commies, but finally fell to the modern composite lids of today.

All good things do come to an end. 


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Dutch Treat: Netherlands M34 steel helmet

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Originally I had posted this as an M23-27, and asked for help in identifying markings etc.  No sooner did I hit "post" than facebook friend Reinout de Waal sent me this message:


 Mannie, judging by it's shape it is in fact a M.34 dutch helmet (easy way to tell the difference is if you put the model on solid ground and see if you can put your fingers under the rim (not possible with M27). The grey paint, red liner and flat rivets indicate that this particular model has been reissued after the war by the "Bescherming bevolking" civil protection. The blue bar was to indicate command structure.

Thanks Reinout, for contributing to this blog.
 On we go!



Some of my favorite things are Dutch

The crunchy goodness of Voortman cookies...

The artistic vision of Jan Vermeer...

that crazy-ass Rutger Hauer...

and of course, the Netherlands M34 Steel Helmet

The  Dutch had a unique helmet design,

a unique army.

and the last laugh on the Nazis

I really like this singularly Dutch helmet, altogether unlike any other and a stand-out in my collection.

The bronze shield of the Dutch Lion is appears on the front of this lid

The steep front and scalloped rear provide almost a medieval appearance

As mentioned above, Reinout notes:

"The grey paint, red liner and flat rivets indicate that this particular model has been reissued after the war by the "Bescherming bevolking" civil protection. The blue bar was to indicate command structure."

This closeup shows a highly stylized and artistically rendered rampant lion.

Possibly the inspiration behind the antics of Gene Simmons?

Yikes!

The slot in the rear rim provides a purchase for fastening the helmet to a backpack.

The significance of the only marking in the helmet is related to its civil defense duty.

The  handsome (and characteristic to the civil defence use of this helmet)  ox-blood leather liner is very European though the skirt and fastener at the rear is unique to this model of helmet as well as the Dutch-inspired Romanian model.

No markings appear on the liner interior or exterior.  The quality of the leather is outstanding, however the felt padding is minimal.

From above the flared rear skirt is very apparent.

The buckle of hardened wire is simple and efficient.

The chinstrap is affixed with a rivet and a leather washer; a nice touch.

The rolled edge is emblematic of the overall high quality manufacture of this helmet

A helmet that I am very pleased to have in the collection

And, is it just me?

Our man Bashford

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Helmet designer Bashford Dean gets his due at the Met

Article here



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The Canadian MkII air raid warden helmet of WWII

During the Second World War, these people...

took to the skies to fly over England (and, many feared, Canada) to kill their enemies, who were...

                                      these younger people.

Those younger people were...

                                                warned,

                                            protected,
  


                                               and rescued...

by people like these:


                        the British and Canadian wardens of World War Two.

And here is the warden's trusty helmet,  the standard British MkII in warden livery.


The letter painted on the front identified the responsibilities of the wearer.  "W"  for air raid warden, "A" for ambulance service, "RP" for rescue party, and so on.  Paolo Marzetti has a two-page spread of most of these helmet markings in his outstanding work "Combat Helmets of the World".

Side view provides that very familiar "battle bowler" profile.

Note that the finish is without any non-reflective sand or sawdust.  Simply a coat of brownish green paint.


Sadly, mine is missing its liner, though I'm still very happy to have this particular piece in my collection.  Usually I like to collect the best specimen possible, though sometimes I find that that means the only specimen available.

The manufacturers mark is stamped underneath the brim,  in this instance its of Canadian manufacture.


The rim seam butts neatly in the rear of the helmet.

The MkII spring-loaded chinstrap; here, relaxed...



and here, extended.  This strap in is very good condition.




The buckle is highly enameled and lustrous.


Stenciled proudly on the front is the Warden's insignia.  Take that you motherless Nazi swine!






provenance:
accession number: MOA hmar219.26
MkII British ARP Warden Steel Helmet
Acquired 1983, Grand Rapids Michigan.
Purchase price :$16.00
Condition: excellent though liner is missing

Attention Readers:

Give me your input!  For my next series of helmet posts what would you prefer to see: Spanish helmets of the Spanish Civil War and beyond or Mk1 helmets of the U.S. Navy of WWII and beyond?