Early Austrian M58 liners

[austromunga]

Hi all
just picked up my first genuine Austrian issue early M58 Tarnnetz!!! what's more it's in unissued condition!!! its the type with the woven base... (no elastic) the other early tarnnetz I already have are what I believe to be a kind of transitional type!!!??? in that they are made with the same lighter green string, and in the same haphazard knotting style (as is this latest one) M75 are normally uniform!!
now was it either a case of first using up old string stock....and made with the elastic band...... or have they have been retrofitted with elastic to conform with the M75 type!!!??? also either due to stretching on the issued net... this older type has slightly smaller holes 3/4" as apposed to 1" (see photos) detail of knotting, woven base and contrast with elastic fitted type.. also view of net fitted to my 1959 dated M58.

[austromunga]

Hi all here's my recent M 58 Haul!!!!
5 ... yes that's "five" shells and liners now added to the collection!!
and the best of all..... has to be the elusive 57' dated one!!!!!
now I bought one off eBay 58' dated.. ...and the seller sent me a message saying he had more to list!!! ....... 12 more in fact!!!!!!
as he was reasonably local I went to collect my purchase.... with a view to searching the other 11 for THE 57' as it turns out 1 was an M75 !!!!
to cut along story short, I bought another four "interesting ones"!!!.... but as I searched.... it looked as though the elusive 57' one would escape me yet again...until... and you cant make this up..... no word of a lie.... the very last shell he pulled out , as he said "here's a size 57 one" (he had been told the shells were like WW II German ones and sized)!!!! but in reality it finally was "THE 57' " !!!!!
now I also picked up an RM 68 shell, a U. SCH 62, U.SCH 70 and lastly a U.SCH 58 with a better stamp than one I already had (with the HBA 58 also)!!!
he also had a pile of M58 liners ..some 13 or so ..and three M75.. one of which I nabbed dated 83' for a lonely M75 shell I've had lying around for a while!! ( I already had a spare M58 riddle suspension type to fit in its place)
now the other three M58 liners themselves were also interesting.... in that they have the riddle suspension removed and have been factory converted to the later M75 leather 9 lobe liners!!!
the resulting spare holes have all been professionally "plugged" with metal blanking rivets!!! (I have heard of this types existence... but have not personally not come across one before!!!! ...and he had 13 or so!!!!)
two of which are SW 71 marked liners (I thought these were Export only liners????) ...which I would have guessed would be around the time the other shells were converted.. or were they using up old liners and fitting the new type liners.... from new????!!!!!!
one has a nice rank star "gefreiter" and another has the last owners name "WUFTL"
oh and "OLE 57' " has a stylised "G...G" ??? written in ball point inside..... and also scratched into the peak too!!!!! NICE
anyway here's some pics !!!!
PS
I also picked up some more early M58 helmet nets... and not a moment too soon it seems!!!!
update photos to follow when I get round to putting them on!!!

[austromunga]

you know how you wait ages for a bus and then a load come along all at once!!!
well its also true for M58 stalhelm!!!!

This ones another U.SCH 58 dated one with the second type thermoplastic, grey headband liner... but this one still retains its original T1 chinstrap hardwear!!
also it has remnants of removed stickers!!!... two masking tape thickness ones on the front... and one wide one to the rear!!
I have noticed a lot of my M58 lids have this!!??? name tags??? or in the case of the rearward facing ones ... white rank decals perhaps !!??? (left over traits from the original U.S. rank marked WWII M1 lids inherited by the Bundesheer in 55' )?????
I will be on the lookout for the off chance of finding one with this still intact!!!!
and as promised a pic of the collection (so far!!) with original bundesheer issue hand- tied non elastic band type helmet nets .....as you can see my obsession for Austrian stalhelm is perhaps a little runaway!!!! the first one is my U.S. fixed bail front seam as left to the Bundesheer in 1955,the next 8 (one with the Austrian dot camo parka hood cover) are M58 stalhelm 2...then im being a little naughty!! and the adding rest of my M75 stalhelm 1 (including the medic band fitted one) ..... then lastly there is my current issue composite M92 with the snow camo!!
eventually there will be a separate section for my Austrian made shells from around the world!!!!
watch this space!!.....

[37Webbing]

you know how you wait ages for a bus and then a load come along all at once!!!
well its also true for M58 stalhelm!!!!

This ones another U.SCH 58 dated one with the second type thermoplastic, grey headband liner... but this one still retains its original T1 chinstrap hardwear!!
also it has remnants of removed stickers!!!... two masking tape thickness ones on the front... and one wide one to the rear!!
I have noticed a lot of my M58 lids have this!!??? name tags??? or in the case of the rearward facing ones ... white rank decals perhaps !!??? (left over traits from the original U.S. rank marked WWII M1 lids inherited by the Bundesheer in 55' )?????
I will be on the lookout for the off chance of finding one with this still intact!!!!
and as promised a pic of the collection (so far!!) with original bundesheer issue hand- tied non elastic band type helmet nets .....as you can see my obsession for Austrian stalhelm is perhaps a little runaway!!!! the first one is my U.S. fixed bail front seam as left to the Bundesheer in 1955,the next 8 (one with the Austrian dot camo parka hood cover) are M58 stalhelm 2...then im being a little naughty!! and the adding rest of my M75 stalhelm 1 (including the medic band fitted one) ..... then lastly there is my current issue composite M92 with the snow camo!!
eventually there will be a separate section for my Austrian made shells from around the world!!!!
watch this space!!.....

Impressive!
It is interesting how similar the Austrian and Danish red cross helmet band are....
If I didn't knew better, I would say they were made the same place, or made from the same design.

Interesting.
Thanks for sharing!

[Opex]

Many compliments to you on your dedication to this genre of M1 clones Austro, I really like the way they are displayed on the shelving unit, it demonstrates them very nicely indeed.

[austromunga]

Hi yes I have noticed this point as well here's a pic of the marking inside to help compare the two!!???
but as a lot of Danish M1's were made in Austria maybe they also bought the medic bands to go with the helmets ...or possibly even the other way round and the Danish supplied the Austrians!!???
more likely that both country's being members of NATO using the same M1 clones shared the same supplier whoever/wherever this was!!!

[37Webbing]

Hi yes I have noticed this point as well here's a pic of the marking inside to help compare the two!!???
but as a lot of Danish M1's were made in Austria maybe they also bought the medic bands to go with the helmets ...or possibly even the other way round and the Danish supplied the Austrians!!???
more likely that both country's being members of NATO using the same M1 clones shared the same supplier whoever/wherever this was!!!

You are of-course right.
The Austrians supplied the shells, and DKI made the liners.
All my medic helmet bands, are with the Danish stamps. There is alas no Austrians stamps.

[austromunga]

Hi all,

Just received a pair of Austrian M58 stalhelm 1 from a contact in Hungary!!

I now finally have not one but two original early Austrian issue elastic helmet bands with metal clips!!!!! this quest has taken some time I can tell you!!!!!!!!

both shells are dated 1966, one is batch 12 ... the other batch 13!! both have the original T1 chinstraps and hardware, one still retains the anti-choke fitment!!!

But also the liners exhibit the crossover year for liner production in 1966 when the second type new thermoplastic liner superseded first type fibre liner as they have both the two types!!

They both have the early type helmet net (hand tied and with the woven base)

The early fibre liner has a nice U. SCH date of 62' and a HBA mark for the same printed on the nape strap suspension and is well used!! it has two missing retaining clips from the front of the headband, but also has period repairs to one of the headband suspension rivets (see pics) this is the same type of ("hardwearstore") rivet as used in the replacement of chinstraps!!!! also it has received at least two re-sprays (now badly peeling!!) over its service, one to remove rank insignia which was abandoned around the same time as the new liners were adopted in 66' !!!!! (see pic of rubbed/scratched off insignia mark!!!! )

[austromunga]

Hi all

yet another M58 for the collection!! I know I have more than enough!! but this one is in super condition, and the price as they say was right!!
this one is a little unusual in that it has no makers stamp !! it may of course have been scuffed off but it looks very much to me that it somehow got missed!! it does however have a nice clear HBA for 1969!!
the liner is the second type thermoplastic with the natural leather headband... it was missing its liner chin strap... but I added a spare I had and while I was at it the original early type helmet net!!

[austromunga]

Hi all

Its been very quiet for most of the year Austrian helmet wise.... but now like the proverbial busses .... along come a load all at the same time!!!
anyway.. firstly an M58 type dispatch riders (Kradfahrer) innenhelm to complement the two M75 type I picked up recently!!!
although to the untrained eye.. you could be forgiven for thinking the are almost identical....BUT ........these are actually significantly different... first of all the liner plastic being M58 dark grey,and including the leather eargard/chinstrap... then the strapping in the crown of this liner this is Yellow (the M75 is white)... there is a layer of whitish serrated foam padding to the front section (the safety aspect of this... I think would be extremely limited!!!) The M75 type is two layers of black sorbafoam..... on to the leather headband.. this would seem to be a very thin soft grade of pigs leather, akin to a pair of fine leather gloves.. as apposed to the standard combat liner's heavy duty leather of the M75 type...... and the eagle eyed amongst you, have already spotted the number of lobes!! no your eyes do not deceive you!!!!! go on..... count them again!!!!! yes that's right its 10!!!!!!
and with a HBA mark for 1965!! this 10 lober pre-dates the scarce M75, 1976 dated combat liner by some 11 years!!!!!!!
the pics on the left are the M58.. the ones for comparison on the right are the M75 type.. I will at some point rediscover where I placed the other two and the combat 10 lober... to make a side by side, by side comparison!!!!!....
watch this space!!!