Turkish M1 and M56/76

[battle gear]

While I was messing about with the M56 ..I couldn't resist a try on... well you have to don't you!....anyway I just happened to "knock" on the shell...and "bonnggg" it rings like a church bell is this normal!!!??are all East German M56 like this!!??? I would have thought that one of these would make a great mess hall Gong!!!!!!

yes, mine also sounds like a gong if you tap on the side, I tried the same test on a Russian Ssh68 and it had a more solid sound no gong or hollow sound on the Russian shell

must be a different type of steel or because of the wide shape of the M56

[James C]

While I was messing about with the M56 ..I couldn't resist a try on... well you have to don't you!....anyway I just happened to "knock" on the shell...and "bonnggg" it rings like a church bell is this normal!!!??are all East German M56 like this!!??? I would have thought that one of these would make a great mess hall Gong!!!!!!

yes mate i can confirm when struck they make nice tune ,im glad you picked up one of those nets ,i would be tempted to do a camo cover and net combo on your m56

[austromunga]

Nice lids James !!! re the DDR museum.... I don't think they would have noticed!!! ... but just in case ....the armed guards posted on the front door might just put you off the idea!!! even if they are only there for show!!!!
is that the stairway to your "war room"??? I see behind you in the pic posing with the MK 6 British Helmet!!!!

[austromunga]

Hi all a small update on the Turkish helmet front!! I now have this M1 shape parade/ceremonial liner it really is pretty basic in its construction very poor in quality the rivets are plain and have no makers mark like the M1 issue liner, and the white plastic is starting to "yellow" with sunlight damage (shows up worse than it looks to the eye in camera flash) !! the "webbing" if you could call it that!!!... is a very cheap feeling white PVC "tape!!" all hardware is chromium plated.... the national badge is a simple painted brass disk bolted through the side of the liner!!!

[James C]

interesting liner/helmet paul ,and they say the iraqi m80 is crudely made so this is definately military ?i would of thought a construction hard hat of some sort ,thanks for sharing mate

[austromunga]

Hi James....
Yes only for ceremonial purposes... as this pic of a ceremonial guard on duty from Atatürk Mausoleum in Ankara.... I sure hope the box isn't hermetically sealed!!!
as for modern days the different services would seem now to have the usual green for army, blue for air force, and white for navy!!

[Adrian Stevenson]

I pity the poor sailor in that box in a Turkish summer!

[battle gear]

a Turkish soldier carries helmets intended for journalists on the Turkish / Iraq border 12 Jan 1991 in the event that war should break out, preparations for war are increasing three days before the United Nations Deadline against Iraq.

[emileverbunt]

Hi all
Two new additions gathered at a local militaria fair..... its a Turkish M1 and an M56/76 !!!
I picked up the M1 first as I've been on the lookout for any Austrian made shells ... this one seemed to fit the bill!! so I asked for the price ... "ill do you a deal for both the M1 type and the M56!!" well after a little haggling i took both!!!!!! the M1 is marked on the underside of the front rim lot (02/91 U,s) so it will fit into my Austrian collection nicely!!!
the liner is locally produced.. made by Donatim Istanbul... and as an added extra when taking these pics some extra webbing fell out from under the crown!!!!... looks to be a "A" frame Paracutist type liner chinstrap!!???
The helmets have both been repainted (brushed) and the decals on both helmets look fresh... in the case of the left side decals... look a little like they are printed on paper with an inkjet printer !!! added later do you think!!?????
The M56 is an ex East German issue... bought by the Turkish army after reunification to replace their aging M1 helmet stocks (apparently a very unpopular choice with the troops as they much preferred the old M1 type!!) with stamp II 54 65 it also came with the woodland cover!! correct???
any thoughts invited please gents!!???

This M1 clone seems Dutch to me. A Dutch production code on a Ulbrichts Witwe shell. Purposfully produced for The Netherlands in 1991. What does the chinstrap on the shell look like?

Cheers,
Emile

[battle gear]

While I was messing about with the M56 ..I couldn't resist a try on... well you have to don't you!....anyway I just happened to "knock" on the shell...and "bonnggg" it rings like a church bell is this normal!!!??are all East German M56 like this!!??? I would have thought that one of these would make a great mess hall Gong!!!!!!

I wouldnt mind wearing my East German M56 while at the public shooting range while firing my EG Makarov or Soviet SKS just to get the "feel" of wearing one of these in field use, kind of like doing some reenactment wearing the proper gear a soldier would be using.