Unusual Bosnian composite - or ordinary Croatian?

[Greg Pickersgill]

I recently bought - at more expense than I can comfortably remember - a composite helmet advertised as Bosnian. I did do some research beforehand and discovered that there was indeed a Bosnian compo manufacturer - TRZ-Hadzici - with a website showing the helmet in queston here - Demining Equipment. (This is possibly a relic orphaned site as information I found elsewhere indicated that TRZ may no longer be trading.)

Imagine then my surprise when the helmet arrived and it seemed remarkably similar to the Croatian Nial/Sestan Busch products. To my boggled eye the shells are virtually identical if not actually so. The liner bolts are in the same places, although the bolts themselves seem to be almost imperceptibly different on the two helmets. Both have three-point chinstrap fittings although the Bosnian is not attached to anything, the rear loop of the chinstrap flopping about uselessly and with no sign it ever was attached. The two helmets do have different liners, but again there are similarities as well as differences. The chinstrap catches are definately different!

Here's some pics - the Nial Busch is blue, notionally Air Force issue, the Bosnian is brownish, and (perhaps interestingly) has a two-character felt-pen marking on front, back, and both sides. Test product?

See the interior - clear differences in the liner headband, but the cradle is the same form in both. The chinstrap catch is different, the known Croat has Velcro strips for chinstrap adjustment and the other doesn't. Looking at the rear of the interior you may see that there is an unused liner bolt which holds the rear element of the 3-point chinstrap in the Croat, but nothing in the Bosnian. There is nothing on the rear loop of the Bosnian chinstrap which could attach to anything; perhaps part is missing, but no obvious sign of damage.

There are no makers marks of any kind in the Bosnian, the only marks being the felt-pen notations.

Note also that despite apparent differences in size in the photos the two helmets are identical in size in reality.

So. Do I actually have a TRZ-Hadzici helmet which is perhaps a licensed (or pirated) copy of the Nial/Sestan Busch shell with a local liner? Or a test product from N/S-Busch? Or?

Greg P.

[James C]

Thanks for sharing Greg there very much in the style of the PASGT internally and externally

[Greg Pickersgill]

I'd almost forgotten ever posting this here. Disappointing that no-one had any ideas about it, but then that's nothing to be particularly ashamed of, composites being notoriously difficult to get information on. I have placed this query in front of several hundred militaria enthusiasts on three different forums, many of whom count themselves as specialists in helmets, and *no-one* has been able to give me any useful knowledge at all.

So I guess we will have to file this as "Probably Croat Nial/Sestan-Busch shell, unusual possibly Bosnian liner and chinstrap".

Next, the *other* seven or eight unidentified composite helmets I have acquired during 2011...are you excited yet?

GregP

PS - anyone with an interest in composite helmets may find it worthwhile taking a look here -
Composite Helmets, Ballistic helmets, Military helmets International Guide

[James C]

Greg i agree its sometimes frustrating when you start a thread and get little response, post up your collection of composite helmets i would like to see them

[Reibert]

Hi, Greg !

Try to contact the manufacturer !
?estan-Busch | Military Helmets
Maybe they have further informations.

As far as I know they´re still in business !

Cheers,
R.

BTW, bought a nice "BK-9", manufactured by Nial Busch, yesterday.

[Reibert]

...
Here's some pics - the Nial Busch is blue, notionally Air Force issue, ...

IMO Police / Paramilitary units

[Greg Pickersgill]

Try to contact the manufacturer !
?estan-Busch | Military Helmets

Tried that, long ago, And just like every other time I have asked for information from a helmet-maker I got no answer. No, actually I did get a helpful response from NP Aerospace. Once.

And, I remember, I went to the trouble of translating my question into Croat. I get the feeling that manufacturers think people like us are just nuts who should be ignored.

But the good news is that I have learned that the TRZ-HADZIKI helmet actually is (according to my informant) a copy of the Sestan Busch, and produced in Bosnia for a short time. No longer in production or service.

Gosh, I'd forgotten all about this thread!

[Reibert]

... I get the feeling that manufacturers think people like us are just nuts who should be ignored.
...

Made the same experiences in the past also ...

The "bigger" the Company, the "smaller" the answer ! ...

[SRB]

my TRZ-Hadzici:on the left side you can see sticker is applied to the model, serial number and manufacturer.

[Greg Pickersgill]

Hi SRB! Is your label the same as this one?

The labels are not very well fixed to the helmets - every one I have seen has the label loose or no label at all. Yours is the exception.