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my french helmets

Article about: here's my collection of french helmets from ww1 adrian ,ww2 adrian ,model 51 ,and two Opération Daguet f1's the progression from inner tubes as a way of tidying up and holding the helmet edg

  1. #41

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    US-trained Congolese troops to aid efforts against M23 rebels - News - Stripes

    Congolese soldiers undergo training at a camp in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in this September 2010 photo. A U.S.-trained light infantry battalion of Congolese soldiers will help in efforts to halt advances by the M23 rebel group in the DRC, the United Nations says.

    they also appear to be supplied with French M78 / F1 helmets with some type of heavy camo cover or scrim material
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture my french helmets  

  2. #42
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    James,
    I've often wondered about the amount of French WW2 Adrian's that appear in England.
    Now this is jumping to a possible conclusion, but would you agree that the majority of the helmets would initially have ended up in England via the Dunkirk evacuation ?
    There was said to be 100,000 French soldiers lifted off the beaches and transported back to England, ... many with equipment.
    Once in England, I presume they would have been "re-fitted", and thus their equipment was literally "beached" here in 1940.

    Gary J.

  3. #43
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    Great reference pictures of the F1 in use by former French colonies BG,thanks for sharing.

  4. #44

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    Hello BG,

    Not sure the congolese army is currently wearing a French F1. It is difficult to say but the chinstrap doesn't look like the french one. Additionaly, Congo has never been under french control as it was a belgium colony and the other equipements aren't french nether.

    Concerning Gary's point, it is more than probable and recently a big supply was "found" with loads of french equipements from that time. After Dunkerque, most of the Equipments were left there.
    By the way, I do not see Churchill sending them back to Pétain knowing that Half France was occupied and the french army almost reduced to a limited 100 000 men.

    All the best

    Bruno

  5. #45
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    Quote by bourguignotte View Post
    Hello BG,

    Not sure the congolese army is currently wearing a French F1. It is difficult to say but the chinstrap doesn't look like the french one. Additionaly, Congo has never been under french control as it was a belgium colony and the other equipements aren't french nether.

    Concerning Gary's point, it is more than probable and recently a big supply was "found" with loads of french equipements from that time. After Dunkerque, most of the Equipments were left there.
    By the way, I do not see Churchill sending them back to Pétain knowing that Half France was occupied and the french army almost reduced to a limited 100 000 men.

    All the best

    Bruno
    Hi Bruno, sorry yes I was generalising with the former French colony comment, you are quite correct.

    And picking up on Gary's comment, I have also wondered why their are so many Adrian's on these shores,I assumed they were either brought back "war trophies", or left in the UK by French troops, it would be nice to find out one way or the other.

    Regards,Opex.

  6. #46

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    Hello Opex,

    I may perhaps guess for the second option.
    The 1st one would suppose Brits and French were fighting. I know their is a long history for this ; ) but it was theoreticaly over in WW2 : )

    Best regards

    Bruno

  7. #47
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    Exactly my point.
    The helmets had to get to England somehow, ...
    I can't see them be brought back war trophies, therefore the theory that most would have come over with evacuees from Dunkirk, and the exodus via Cherbourg in 1940.

    Regards

    Gary J.

  8. #48
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    Guy's apologies when I wrote "war trophies" I mean along the lines of the British soldiers picking them up from the beaches, popping them in the their kit bags, and bringing them back to blighty, there are many reference photos of hundreds of Adrians littering the ground, surely some groups or individual troops must have picked the odd one or two up, I know I would have.

  9. #49

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    very nice!

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