OK....is this a South African, Rhodesian, or Australian Steel Helmet?????

[Raiderbeater]

All it has is some newer sharpie marks and a "56" on the headband and a small stamp of what looks like "M.v.D." on the leather band. NO markings on the steel. Any ideas???? It is tannish with a slightly green hue.

[tinlid]

Welcome to the forum, your helmet looks like a WW2 South African one. The liner is a more modern European one, notice the 56 for cm. Possibly Dutch or Belgium maybe.

[Raiderbeater]

Cool! Neat little oddity I suppose. I got this one and a sanded Vietnam M1 complete set up with a 392nd Regiment sticker on it from a relative.

[stekker]

It's a Dutch BB helmet.
BB means bescherming bevolking = Civil protection.
The stamp in the liner gives it away: M.V.O means Ministerie van Oorlog = Ministry of War.
Probably used from 1952-1985.

Gr. Theo.

[Battery Command Post]

Welcome to the forum, your helmet looks like a WW2 South African one. The liner is a more modern European one, notice the 56 for cm. Possibly Dutch or Belgium maybe.

All Belgian ones I have seen have a decal on the side, plus Belgian liners are usually brown.

I would say it's probably a Dutch helmet, very likely 1950s Dutch Civil Defence, which was made from, as you say, a WW2 South African shell with a Dutch-made liner.

Rob

[magicdutchmen]

Like Rob said; resprayed and relined MKII used by the BB.

[MySonsDad]

We've got a very similar helmet, a Brit MKII, which were supplied to the Dutch during the war, that was repainted and relined for the Dutch CD. The Dutch made CD helmets, for hte Fire Brigade, had the neck protection integral to the liner. Maybe someone got handy and poked a few holes in the rear to fit this helmet with the same. Hopefully nobody did so in trying to pass off as an SA lid.