Soviet helmet

[darrenj40]

Hello all,
I have had this helmet for a while, i was told it was ww2 but looking through the archives here ,maybe post war , so what do you think..
Thare is only the letter "R" stamped at the front...
Thare is an ink stamp in the helmet..it says "B.M. VI F00. " and a date 19__ cant make, out and the picture is not the best...






The Communist Party does not fear criticism because we are Marxist, the truth is on our side, and the basic masses, the workers and peasants, are on our side.

[emileverbunt]

This is most likely the Hungarian M50, see this link:

HÚNGARO 80

Cheers,
Emile

[darrenj40]

Thanks emile, you on the button, thats it alright..

[Fabe]

Hi - it's actually a nice rare type Hungarian M50 - with "R" stamping (meaning "Rendészet" or "Rendőrség" = Police)
So it's an early pre-1956 (the inkstamp has the "Rákosi regime" logo with "B.M." (meaning "Interiour Ministry")

So it was probably used by the much feared secret police (ÁVH or ÁVO 1948-1956) - which was a lot worse than the German Gestapo - nice!

Btw: The date should be 1952 or 1953...

Cheers,
Fabe

[darrenj40]

Thanks Fabe...i got it in the flea market 15 drive north of Budapest in 96...rare type. thanks

[mixer]

Hi Fabe! What was the name helmet manufacturer in Hungary?

[Fabe]

Production of 90,000 pcs. of M50 helmets starter in Jan. 10th, 1951 - at the "Budafoki Zománcedény - Fémárú és Elektromosgyár".
No factory markings on any of the helmets (at least not on the 8 helmets I own), only serial number and size. Ink-stamping (usually the date) can be found on liner padding - but it seems, that by now, most of them faded almost completely.
They production of the M50 helmets between 1951 and 1953 supplied the Hungarian Army (as the world was getting ready for WW3) all the way through 1970 - when the new M70 helmet was introduced.

I will take pics of all my M50 helmets soon - and post them in my cold war thread...

PS: This factory was created in 1905 and finally closed down in 1981.

Hi Fabe! What was the name helmet manufacturer in Hungary?

[mixer]

Thanks Fabe! This is very interesting information! Timeframe of beginning production M50 in Hungary and termination of ssh-40 production in the USSR on LMZ factory are the same. I know that many engineers and technologists of LMZ-helmets production department from Lysva factory were transferred to Stalingrad (to ZKO). On ZKO in 1951, also was started again ssh-40 helmets production. It may very well be that the production of the M50 in Hungary Lysva-men also organized.