Any ideas are welcome about this Adrian M26 helmet.
The helmet looks a regular Adrian M26 model. Inside it has an ink stamp of a French manufacturer MAM.OU (Manufacture des Metaux Ouvres a Marseilles). The liner is a repro, the helmet seems to be repainted some day. Everything looks as it must be, BUT...
As you may see inside the comb is fixed with round hollow rivets. Some told me that the helmet must be Belgian as the Belgians used hollow rivets to fix the combs on their M26-31, while the French apllied splitted rivets only.
But the helmet has a French ink stamp. And besides it is definitely a French helmet by its shape, comb, etc. The Belgian helmet has a quite different profile.
Supposing that the helmet was produced in France for the Belgian army.. The books say "possible", but only before 1931 when the Belgians started their own production. Looks encouraging, but another BUT...
The helmet in question has a rusted steel comb. While some sources say the French started to make steel combs at the end of the 30's. Early M26 were with aluminium combs
Could anybody help to pull me through these puzzles?
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