My M76,M80,M90,SK, Iraqi helmets..

[austromunga]

Hi everyone... wishing you a happy new year!!!!!
so....Here's my M76,M80,M90,SK, Iraqi helmets....
Ok so I know two are definatly Iraqi..the relic M80 (Iraqi Army property stamp) and the M90.. also note the colour variations of my three M76 M80 type!!!
The others are most likley unissued Iraqi.. South Korean or even Iraqi made...... or simply just made for another country's use (the list of possibility's is almost endless!!)...

[austromunga]

ok so first is my Iraqi M80 relic..


In well worn Green paint... with Black painted blobs on three sides and lighter Green "graffiti" to rear..(unfortunately to worn to be read!!!)
missing its chinstrap, headband and the liner matrix is also torn and rotten.. but im happy o say the Iraqi property stamp is still clear!!!
in the crown is a pencil marked name.." captin Jhon (misspelled!???!) Smith 1913!!??? (perhaps that should have been "obergruppenfurer John Smith"!! Man in the High Castle reference!!) guessing a bring back from one of the Gulf wars then!!

[James C]

Thanks for sharing Paul and a nice collection can i ask if i could see better detailed pictures of the example with the cream webbing and Tan resin weave please
if a problem no worries ,i just find it very interesting

[austromunga]

Ok so next up (by popular demand!!) is my M76,M80 unissued in a strange olive tan paint job!!??
inside the liner matrix nape and chinstrap are made with a cream webbing!!!??
the fixtures and fittings are all standard M76,M80 American M64 webbing removable matrix fixings...
The leather sweatband is a natural buff colour..
The resin weave is a light reddish, brown/tan marbled effect..
in the crown there is a mold number which looks to be a plain 1 .. or even an I...
I bought this online and the pictures supplied by the seller made it look like the normal Iraqi sand painted example (even my photos with flash make it look lighter than it is in real life!!.. will attempt to take a pic in natural light with no flash tomorrow!!!)... I was pleasantly surprised when I unwrapped it and it turns out it a little more unusual from the norm!!!
any ideas!!??
Im thinking possible Iran issue??
or maybe Jordan?? but as you can see the Quality of this piece I would say is excellent!!... and I was led to believe the Jordanian manufactured ones were of very inferior quality!!???


opinions please.....

[austromunga]

ok I managed to take some better natural light pics!!..

[James C]

I really appreciate the extra pictures Paul so thank you ,here is the liner i have for comparison and i feel they share similar qualities

[austromunga]

Yes!!! thank you James the similarities are unquestionable!! that's your U.A.E. helmet and liner?? is it not!!!!???? so...now!!... either the webbing and liner were made almost identically.... or more likely both your Liner and my M76,M80... were made/supplied by the same company!!!??.. so next question.... Did U.A.E. use imported South Korean M76 type???... then add their own locally produced webbing!!??....as was often the case for military helmet procurement for many country's!!! it then follows on to the last question.....in that my M76,M80 example could possibly be U.A.E. issue!!!!.....

ohh!!! also another point the base colour on my helmet seems to be a good match for the striping on your liner!!??? is the lighter sand colour added over the darker colour or vise versa !!???....

[James C]

I thought you would like my post and the reason for my keen interest ,well it certainly has thrown up a whole bunch of questions to which i have no answers as yet but it is good excuse to do some serious research on the points you have raised Paul ,To think how close in proximity the UAE / Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states are to Iraq anything is possible i guess ,well if you find out anything in the meantime please let us know
All i will say is your M80 is nothing like the Iraqi issue helmets I'm familiar with especially since it is devoid of the Iraqi army acceptance triangle stamp too so there must be more to it ,Good stuff mate

[Composite]

Guys...I'm loving these posts...and sorry I can't add any value here. In the past I've felt that the whole "Middle East" (a very broad and possibly [hopefully not] offensive word for everything out that way) helmet space has been a mixture of other folks lids...starting with Israel and everyone else seems to have followed suit - Lord knows how many collectors have thought about going to Syria to find those DDR NVS export models. A glance at "CompoSite" reveals that it still seems to be happening, ie nothing much home-made. I fear that "captured/re-used" will be the explanation for some time until we find someone who focuses their collecting on this Regions helmets....

Thanks anyway...and keep 'em coming!

[austromunga]

Thanks James and compo!! I think your right James ...so for now I will put that M76,M80 in the not Iraqi pile!!
Far from it Composite.. you always add value!! with any thread you pay interest to!!! and might I add..... any that you start always have been for me.... most interesting!!!!
well... my next example....is another possible non Iraqi... once again no acceptance mark.. but all other details would seem to closely match... albeit in the original SK imported form!!
it has the dark green SK import paint.. and being pretty much unissued has neither the sand repaint or the usual high wear and tear associated with an issued example!!
this one however was stored in very poor damp humid conditions!!! as when I picked it up all the webbing was covered in thick mould!!! the leather head band also looks to have been damaged....that or....attacked by slugs!!!.. I stripped all the webbing out and sprayed it in a clove oil solution... (known to kill mould!!) and was really very careful not to pull about the fabric!! not easy when the U.S. type M64 removable webbing matrix is well corroded on!!! so..... unfortunately in places the mould had damaged the fibres too much and now they are starting to fray and tear!! (the just mould had to be removed as I couldn't risk an infestation on the rest of my collection!! i had an outbreak on my Austrian leather webbing once...never again!!!!!! culprit was a suspect damp water bottle cover...that I meant to wash before putting in boxes ... but it ended up in with the leather stuff ....and forgotten!!!!! )

ok..... so also the chinstrap would seem to be the same as used by the Iraqi's!! ie not the U.S. M72 metal angled clip type as used on SK examples!!
I've looked for any signs of markings or maker marks... frustratingly....absolutely nothing!!
bar the standard mold number marking in the top that looks like "S2"

any ideas!!!!???