Winter covers for Soviet helmets ssh-36/39/40

[dimon878]

The largest covers for ssh-40 (size 3) and ssh-36 (size 4)

[dimon878]

+ Archive photos, the Leningrad Front, 1943-1944

[Sass]

Hi everybody!

All these covers were bought from me some time ago for very cheap and to be true I still have them.
Unfortunately they are not ww2 period made, but made in Estonia at the beginning of 90's when Estonia restored independence after 60 years of Soviet occupation. Read their story below.
The Estonian Defence Forces (Eesti Kaitsevägi) was re-founded on 3 September 1991 by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia. Since 1991, the armed forces of Estonia have re-opened and restored more than 30 old and new units and several army branches. At the same time were restored others military and para-military organizations like Defence League (Kaitseliit in estonian) and Home Guard (Omakaitse). At the very beginning supply of all military organizations was very bad, especially Home Guard and Defence League were in bad situation. They started from scratch! No commanders, no own uniforms, no equipment, no normal financing... Estonian new allies Sweden, Germany, Finland, Holland and others sent tons of "military help" here: used uniforms, equipment, field gear and of course hundreds helmets. So, at the very beginning we have seen in our Defence Forces a big mix of all kind uniforms and equipments from different countries, periods and models and of course soviet helmets (made in 50's-80's) were also used in Estonian Army and home guard (militia).
For winter trainings were produced from cheap materials thousands of these white camo covers made for different type of helmets, models and size. So, some of them fit well to small swedish helmets, others to soviet helmets, bundeswehr and etc.

When NATO standards came to Estonian Defence Forces then situation has changed. Most of ex-soviet, self made and others countries "jank" equipments were recycled or sold.

We had hundreds of these covers. We gifted a lot, sold for cheap and still have them, but knowing real history behind them I will never offer as ww2 period made covers. They are not rare here in Estonia.

Some historical notes about our Defence Forces newest history:

1990 – The Defence League was re-founded on 17 February at Järvakandi on popular initiative in order to defend Estonia's independent statehood.
3 September 1991 - The Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia decided to form defence forces.
4 October 1991 - The government declared mobilisation to the Defence Forces of men born in 1965-1973.
31 October 1991 - The General Staff of the Defence Forces was re-established.
29 June 1992 - Training of professional staff for the Estonian Defence Forces was started in Finland.
27 July 1992 - Ants Laaneots is appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Defence Forces.
4 May 1993 - The Parliament appointed Retired Colonel of the US Army Aleksander Einseln Commander of the Defence Forces.
13 April 1994 - Staffs of the Air Force and the Navy were re-established.

You could read more here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Defence_League
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonia_Defence_Forces
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omakaitse

Thanks for your attention!
Regards, Aleks

[dimon878]

Hi everybody!

All these covers were bought from me some time ago for very cheap and to be true I still have them.
Unfortunately they are not ww2 period made, but made in Estonia at the beginning of 90's when Estonia restored independence after 60 years of Soviet occupation. Read their story below.
The Estonian Defence Forces (Eesti Kaitsevägi) was re-founded on 3 September 1991 by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia. Since 1991, the armed forces of Estonia have re-opened and restored more than 30 old and new units and several army branches. At the same time were restored others military and para-military organizations like Defence League (Kaitseliit in estonian) and Home Guard (Omakaitse). At the very beginning supply of all military organizations was very bad, especially Home Guard and Defence League were in bad situation. They started from scratch! No commanders, no own uniforms, no equipment, no normal financing... Estonian new allies Sweden, Germany, Finland, Holland and others sent tons of "military help" here: used uniforms, equipment, field gear and of course hundreds helmets. So, at the very beginning we have seen in our Defence Forces a big mix of all kind uniforms and equipments from different countries, periods and models and of course soviet helmets (made in 50's-80's) were also used in Estonian Army and home guard (militia).
For winter trainings were produced from cheap materials thousands of these white camo covers made for different type of helmets, models and size. So, some of them fit well to small swedish helmets, others to soviet helmets, bundeswehr and etc.

When NATO standards came to Estonian Defence Forces then situation has changed. Most of ex-soviet, self made and others countries "jank" equipments were recycled or sold.

We had hundreds of these covers. We gifted a lot, sold for cheap and still have them, but knowing real history behind them I will never offer as ww2 period made covers. They are not rare here in Estonia.

Some historical notes about our Defence Forces newest history:

1990 – The Defence League was re-founded on 17 February at Järvakandi on popular initiative in order to defend Estonia's independent statehood.
3 September 1991 - The Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia decided to form defence forces.
4 October 1991 - The government declared mobilisation to the Defence Forces of men born in 1965-1973.
31 October 1991 - The General Staff of the Defence Forces was re-established.
29 June 1992 - Training of professional staff for the Estonian Defence Forces was started in Finland.
27 July 1992 - Ants Laaneots is appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Defence Forces.
4 May 1993 - The Parliament appointed Retired Colonel of the US Army Aleksander Einseln Commander of the Defence Forces.
13 April 1994 - Staffs of the Air Force and the Navy were re-established.

You could read more here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Defence_League
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonia_Defence_Forces
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omakaitse

Thanks for your attention!
Regards, Aleks

Thanks for the info. I hope you are ready to confirm the words of the Estonian military photos in these covers at the beginning of the 1990s. Or official documents about the history of these covers.

If you have so many of them, then how do you recently offered me five covers for 2000 euro? Thanks in advance for your answers. I'm really interested.

on ssh-36 size 4:

[Litzmannstadt]

Actualy I see some diffrences in those cover ; those presented by sass have 8 panels witout central seam while those presented by dimon seems have 6 panels only and central seam.

Other thing is fact that sass covers are mostly made from diffrent cloth type ( each panel made from diffrent cloth - like made from scaps ) while dimon are made from the very same type of cloth ( each panel made from the same cloth ).

So IMO looks to be diffrent types of covers.

[dimon878]

Actualy I see some diffrences in those cover ; those presented by sass have 8 panels witout central seam while those presented by dimon seems have 6 panels only and central seam.

Other thing is fact that sass covers are mostly made from diffrent cloth type ( each panel made from diffrent cloth - like made from scaps ) while dimon are made from the very same type of cloth ( each panel made from the same cloth ).

So IMO looks to be diffrent types of covers.

Be careful. All covers 8 panels (not 6), you can count.

Some covers are made of thick white cloth (diagonal in Russian), I wrote about it in the beginning.

Forgot to add that the first archival photographs on the covers found only in the mid to late 2016, a few I found recently archives ЦГАКФФД.

[Litzmannstadt]

OK. Now all 8 panels are visible ; at first sight it looks like it has 6 panels ( at first few photos ). So looks to be the very same style covers. Pitty that those are postwar.