Dutch M.1 clones (Model 53) Post them here

[James C]

russ i apologise ,i have not explained myself very well here ,my m53 clone is only 1 part ,the liner was missing when i purchased it ,i will find one suitable one day but im in no rush ,but for a temporary solution i fitted a spare us ground troops liner from the ,mid 80's as you see in the first few photos ,the last liner photos are of the reworked westinghouse liner as you can tell , i found this liner inside my belgium T21 m1 clone issued to air force allthough not correct for the helmet but the same shade of blue .another member on here emileverbunt kindly highlighted what i had and saying it was quite a rare combination , sorry for the confusion pal ,regards james oh ps my m53 shell is stamped LS 1 76 and on the inside crown is stencilled controll 637 I.C.W

[Opex]

Great examples guy's,Here's one of mine,this one is of the earlier type with the resin liner. I have another one fitted with a DPM cover and plastic liner,which I have previously shown here.

[Opex]

Hi all, Here's another M53 from my collection , the liner is dated 1991,whereas I have no idea when the shell was issued but there is a small stamp on the inner front rim. Thanks for looking.

Opex

[37Webbing]

Hi all, Here's another M53 from my collection , the liner is dated 1991,whereas I have no idea when the shell was issued but there is a small stamp on the inner front rim. Thanks for looking.

Opex

A very nice VDN ( Vereinigten Deutsche Nickelwerke AG) helmet.

It always amazes me how late they were manufactured. I've found one in Denmark made in 1991.
I don't know if that is the latest date, or there are even younger M1 clones out there.

[Opex]

A very nice VDN ( Vereinigten Deutsche Nickelwerke AG) helmet.

It always amazes me how late they were manufactured. I've found one in Denmark made in 1991.
I don't know if that is the latest date, or there are even younger M1 clones out there.

Many thanks for looking, does the 89/4 relate to 1989 perhaps??

Kind regards,Opex.

[emileverbunt]

Hello Opex,

1989/april.

When you put this VDN helmet next to a M-1 or clone you'll see that your helmet is shaped dfferently. It looks a bit like a mix between the M-1 and the French M51.

These helmets were in use in The Netherlands till about 1995 and were replaced by the Schubert.

Cheers,
Emile

[Opex]

Hello Opex,

1989/april.

When you put this VDN helmet next to a M-1 or clone you'll see that your helmet is shaped dfferently. It looks a bit like a mix between the M-1 and the French M51.

These helmets were in use in The Netherlands till about 1995 and were replaced by the Schubert.

Cheers,
Emile

Many thanks for the information Emile, I assumed the digits was the date of manufacture ,so that's great information!

And to be honest I never thought to look at the shape and profile, but I will have a closer look at this aspect, I do think it has a higher dome profile than a US M1, thanks again for this information.

[emileverbunt]

Hi Opex,

The VDN has a somewhat lower neck.

Cheers,
Emile

[battle gear]

The Dutch M53 has a very smooth finish, I think they should have used a rough textured paint because the camo cover slides off very easy because of the semi gloss smooth finish

[Opex]

Hi Opex,

The VDN has a somewhat lower neck.

Cheers,
Emile

Emile, Thanks again i will get around to lining the shell up against other types!