Don't make me come over there!

I'll be back to regular blogging this coming Sunday.

AND I'M SERIOUS!

T.T.F.N.,

Mannie

Spanish M.42/79 Steel Helmet

Here is a variation on the classic "shell game".

Pictured below are three seemingly identical Spanish helmets; the model 42/79, the German manufactured M. 35, and the "modello Z".

Your objective is to determine which is the M42/79.  It is concealing the image of Francisco Franco.   You may want to go with your instincts on this.

If you instinctively thought "hmmmmm, Franco...far right?"

You would be...

                                     ¡Hola, mi nombre es pequeño Francisco!
Correct!

The M.42/79 is essentially a rehash of that which has gone before (the model Z) with a more highly engineered suspension and chinstrap system.

Its handsome looks still draw from its ancestor the German M.35 which saw Spanish service following the Civil War and accompanied Spanish troops as they assisted the Nazis in their campaign against the Soviets.



Like the "modello Z", the M.42/79 is made of much lighter, thinner steel than its German forebear.

As can be  seen here:

note the bent profile, no doubt after an encounter with an aged Bolshevik.


The liner, though much improved from earlier versions, is still an overly-complex design that provides little of the critical space between the shell of the helmet and the head of the wearer.


Comprised of a leather band, riveted to the shell, the liner is a series of fabric and leather straps radiating toward a hammock-style apex.

The chinstrap is almost identical to the U.S. Army airborne M1C liner jump chinstrap.

The  finish on this particular helmet is much finer than on other examples.  The lack of those typical multiple layers of slopped-on paint lead me to believe that his helmet was in service only a short time.

Spanish police also used the M.42/79 for many years, eventually making the transition to composite helmets:

as seen here actively protecting Spanish society from rampaging gangs of old people.

Speaking of old people who were on a rampage...

now it is time to leave Francisco Franco and his nasty legacy behind as we bid farewell to the Nazi inspired design of the Spanish helmets of the 20th century, and return them to their places in the gallery.

Join me next time for as I begin a two installment series on the Danish helmets in my collection.

provenance:
accession number: MOA hmar249.68.14
Spanish M.42/79 steel helmet
Acquired 2008, ebay
Purchase price :$36.53
Condition: excellent

Helmet Holiday Hiatus

I'm taking the Month of December off, returning with regular weekly posting beginning on January 4.  In the meantime catch up on earlier posts, click on the links below for other great helmet sites and resources.

Otherwise I wish all a happy holiday season!

Spanish M.42 "Modello Z" steel helmet

"Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy: I knew Jack Kennedy; Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
Senator Lloyd Bentsen to Senator Dan Quayle, Oct 5, 1988

And Francisco Franco may have draped himself in fur, but he was no Joan Crawford!

I think the same can be said regarding the Modello Z in comparison to the German M.35:

"...you, senor, are no M.35"

And here we plunge in to Spain's attempt to replicate the German M.35, a superior helmet that Francoist troops got a taste of in WWII during their eastern expedition to bring destruction and madness  to Russia (as if the Russkis needed any help in those particular departments).

The war ended but the memory lingers on, memory of that classic M.35 design, replicated here, ersatz in every way, in the M.42 Model Z helmet.

I've read recently that the easiest way to tell a Spanish M.42 from a German M.35 is with a hammer.  

Let me, instead, save a little wear and tear on your collection with these photos. 

The insignia mounting bracket on the front of the helmet is not a sure  giveaway, as you'll remember from a recent posting that the German M.35 (in Spanish service) sported a similar bracket.  The actual differences are, rest assured, quite obvious.

The raw edge and lousy paint-job provide a glimpse in to the production abilities of a nation impoverished by civil war and foreign adventurism.


The rear view...



as well as the top reveal the typical M.35 profile, but also...


the multiple layers of paint, carelessly slopped on, over the lifetime of this helmet.  A typical hallmark of Spanish helmets is this clumsy ham-fisted finishing.

Peer through the multiple layers of flaking and runny pigment  and here is another big difference between the M.35 and its Spanish counterpart; the crudely punch-stamped ventilator.


That mounting bracket in closeup is quite shoddy when compared to the flush-soldered bracket on the German model.

The pay- off when making your i.d. comes when you look inside:

OUCH!  that very standard, very cheap, and very ineffective Spanish liner is revealed.  As in previous examples posted to this blog, the Spanish M.30 and M.26 share this same rudimentary liner, one which provides almost no space between the shell of the helmet and the skull of the wearer.

Here's the available padding, about 1/8 of an inch of felt.  My brain hurts just thinking about any impact to the shell.


The liner pads are sewn to a leather liner band which is riveted to the shell.




Visible here is the reverse side of the punched ventilator, a far cry from the applied ventilator of the German M.35.


The chinstrap is surprisingly well-engineered.  

Typical of Spanish helmets, this one bears no manufacturer's marks, batch numbers, inspection stamps, or other process marks of any sort.  The closest thing to a marking is this deliberate daub of white paint in the very crown of the shell.


Despite its shortcomings, pop on that brass eagle and the wearer is ready for any parade.

I think perhaps too much of Spain's military budget was being diverted to keep Franco in martial splendor as this cartoon may allude:

Now the final question: What becomes a legend most? Here is at least one trait shared by Spanish strongman Francisco Franco and Hollywood strongwoman Joan Crawford...
They both look good in fur.

Despite its shortcomings, I'm very pleased to have this example in my collection.

provenance:
accession number: MOA hmar249.68.10
Spanish M.42 "Modello Z" steel helmet
Acquired 2008, ebay
Purchase price :$17.53
Condition: very good

Next week:  The Spanish M.42-79 steel helmet

Graphic Interlude: Posters of the Spanish Civil War