What does this stamp in Russian ssh40 really mean?

[Greg Pickersgill]

This is a stamp often seen inside Russian ssh40, It is not in all of them, so obviously has some significance other than a simple factory mark.

I am aware of two explanations for it, which are mutually exclusive - if it means one it cannot mean the other. There may even be more 'explanations' or theories, I don't know and don't care. I just want to know, exactly, what it really means.

And please show your workings - some evidence that has led you believe what you say.

I realise that some may think that this is obvious or so well-known that it requires no explanation; well, just indulge, and educate me, yes?

(PS - I don't know what the numeral beneath the symbol means either. You can tell me that as well.)

[Gunny Hartmann]

As far as i know the star symbol with the number in it is an acceptance stamp, the number being the army depot which had received the helmets!...

[Greg Pickersgill]

Well then, a hundred views and only one opinion, which is a bit scary for a 'Russian Helmets' forum. OK, it is a hard question to answer conclusively and it doesn't help that what is apparently the most authoritative reference may be completely wrong.

Here's the thing - discounting more loony options it comes down to two, which claim the star means either

- it is a stamp showing when the helmet was recondition/refurbished, and the digits within the star indicate the year that was done

or

- it is a simple depot stamp showing acceptance into stock, and the digits within the star are the identification number of the relevant accepting depot.

For years many have believed it was for former, based on Robert Clawson's assertions in his book RUSSIAN HELMETS. That always seemed somewhat implausible because some of these stamps have more than two digits (therefore not plausibly representing a year) or even two digits which sometimes seem equally implausible if they are taken to be a year *after* the original helmet date. Even one illustration in the book shows a '75' stamp which Clawson fancifully converts into '57' for his argument. I mean no disprespect to Robert Clawson - I have referred to his book a lot and his work is valuable (though not perfect or entirely reliable) and he was working with a lot less information that we have today. Though by the lack of response to this question I would guess we *still* don't have much information circulating in the community!

I believe that Gunny Hartmann is correct and it *is* a simple depot stamp. That would explain the three-digit numbers and why even the two-digit numbers aren't plausible as simple year marks. It has nothing to do with refurbishment at all. This is also a view taken by the generally very reliable people at the World War Helmets website. And it also makes sense.

However it doesn't explain why it is by far the minority of post-WW2 ssh40 have this stamp (and it *only* appears in post-war helmets). Why not universal? And what do the other figures mean? More questions than answers.

Thanks for your attention all of you, but only Gunny gets the Big Biscuit this time.

[Composite]

I feel your pain - I only have Clawson....indeed Bob was all we had until Karabanovs work but I don't have that one yet. Surely someone in this part of the forum has Karabanov to check????

[Greg Pickersgill]

Aha! Well, I have Karabanov's HISTORY OF THE RUSSIAN STEEL HELMET but I was keeping it out of the conversation for the time being, mainly because of course those stamps are evident mainly in postwar helmets and Karabanov goes only up until 1945.

That being said though he does refer to the stamps on pages 403/404, in relation to two pictures (of 1940s ssh40) clearly showing The Stamp, one of which equally clearly has a number within the star which *cannot* be a year of refurbishment. His translated caption is -

"Ink stamp affixed by the military authorities..." (rest of caption not relevant).

The accompanying text, as opposed to the captioning, isn't as clear as it might be, but there is a paragraph which includes

"Besides the factory stamp, consignment number, and helmet size, an ink stamp was also applied by the military representative of the Red Army's Department of Transport and Clothing Supply. This stamp was applied to each helmet from a helmet consignment inspected and certified by the military representative."

I'm reading this as implying that the helmets with the stamps are randomly selected and inspected from any given batch and taken to be representative of the quality of the whole batch. That would explain why not every helmet has the stamp, and that the number within the star is that of either the actual inspector or a inspecting depot.

All this fretting came about a few days ago when I saw someone asserting the 'refurbishment' idea on another forum - I have never really bought that one myself, so when I did a check of all the usual suspects (now including Karabanov!) and found I still wasn't convinced enough to say flat-out they were wrong. So I thought I'd table the question here, on a Russian helmets forum. I'm satisfied with my reasoning for the time being but if someone shows where I have the workings wrong I'll be more than happy to accept it. Its only the real facts that matter, not the ones we make up in our own little heads.

[Greg Pickersgill]

To be honest, I am a little surprised that there has been so little response to my query. I am left wondering whether *everyone* (except me) knew the correct - or most probably correct, really - answer all along but just couldn't be bothered to say so, or that no-one had even a vague guess to put forward, not even the almost certainly wrong 'refurbshment date' idea. Or that no-one in fact cared less one way or another. All three options are somewhat concerning. Oh well.

Next week, questions about the Spanish M65, on the other channel.

[Composite]

...as David Soul once said...."don't give up on us Baby"........

[Gunny Hartmann]

To be honest, I am a little surprised that there has been so little response to my query. I am left wondering whether *everyone* (except me) knew the correct - or most probably correct, really - answer all along but just couldn't be bothered to say so, or that no-one had even a vague guess to put forward, not even the almost certainly wrong 'refurbshment date' idea. Or that no-one in fact cared less one way or another. All three options are somewhat concerning. Oh well.

Next week, questions about the Spanish M65, on the other channel.

It's not a German lid so nobody really gives a damn!....

[Greg Pickersgill]

It's not a German lid so nobody really gives a damn!....

Yeah, there is that...AND I'm having a rather grumpy day today. Can't win.

[Composite]

...ahhh...good call Mr Hartman....'read an interesting thread recently along the very same lines.........so......lets try this......BUT didn't them there Nazis use captured Russian helmets?????....(there, that ought to do it)...and they even stuck their funny little badges on some of them too! (Greg....stand back...there's a stampede a-comin'!....200 folk who WANT a helmet and 3 folk who only spend over $50,000 on them...... :-))