IDing Adrian Helmet

[Chickenpuffball]

I bought this on eBay a while ago being the only bidder. It looks like a French WW1 Adrian but with a completely smooth front and a full black paint scheme. I posted this on another forum and the members said that it could be a WW1 Italian helmet or a 1920s French community helmet. Opinions?

Pics:




Stamping (?):

[ynot]

The only kind I know of without any slits for a badge is the WWI Italian type. It'll be interesting to read what someone who knows his stuff has to say.

[Greg Pickersgill]

I was a bit put off Italian initially by thinking that the Italian models had no rivets fixing the comb to the shell, but on checking it transpires that was for a later version only, and that earlier ones do have rivets. So don't trust memory alone! Looking at the pattern of rivets along the comb I'm inclined to suggest it is a M 1915 helmet, made in France on order from Italy, and without any fixing holes for a frontal insignia.

See the excellent WWH site - .: World War Helmets - Casque Modèle 15 :.

also Joseba at italiano m

[Gimmie]

Just before the Netherlands got their own model we imported 10000 French Adrian helmets. They also would have no holes to put a badge in.

Heres some pictures and information on it: Casque Adrian (m15) helmen gebruikt door de Nederlandse Krijgsmacht |Casque Adrian (m15) helmets used by the Netherlands Armed Forces

Regards,
Bas

[OldSteel]

Hello everyone,
I agree with Greg, it's a M1915 made in France, but assembled in Italy.
The Italian Army in emergency bought in 1915 a batch of Adrian M1915 by French Army and distributed them to the soldiers in their original configuration with even the badge of the French Infantry and the "bleu horizon" color.
Subsequently were assembled in Italy a quantity of M1915 without badges and painted in green gray, pending the entry in production of Italian model M1916 which was very different because it was built in just three pieces and with a thicker steel this made it more robust and protective.
This example has been refurbished in the 30's and probably used by second line troops (coastal artillery, anti-aircraft and civil protection organizations), together with M1916 reconditioned and M33 in steel versions of second choice "four holes" and "without rivets" recognizable respectively for the presence of four air vents or by their total absence.
The gray green chin strap is of the type used on M1916, while the liner is the economic leather type produced for these helmets reconditioned, in many cases it was used the thin oilskin typical of war economy.
I hope I was helpful.

Regards
Roberto

[OldSteel]

Very interesting is the path suggested by Gimmie, indeed the liner has remarkable similarities, I thought the Italian solution for two main reasons:
the liner with leather used to a minimum which stops before the folding a typical feature of 30s Italian production and the chinstrap seems to me the grey/green model of M1916 helmet.
I think it would be very interesting to be able to observe the Dutch version chinstrap.

Regards
Roberto

[Chickenpuffball]

Thanks! Were these French produced shells painted black?

[OldSteel]

Thanks! Were these French produced shells painted black?

I've an Artillery example originally blue that was repainted in black, do not know why.

[Chickenpuffball]

Camouflage? On another note, the chinstrap on each of ours looks similar.

[OldSteel]

The many chinstrap of Italian and French production that I had occasion to see are very similar in form, but the French ones I always saw them in natural leather while Italian ones can be of natural or gray-green color.