Is this an Israeli six day war paratrooper helmet?

**Wdphll1504** · 10-31-2014, 01:56 AM

Great Pics...thanks for sharing. For the most part in the six day war, did Israeli Infantry and Paratroopers use the same type of helmets? I see the above men are Infantry and not paratroopers.

Wade

**emileverbunt** · 10-31-2014, 02:07 PM

This might be a RAC helmet that was modified by the Israeli's. The top alu rivet points to that. Normal British para helmets had a pad glued in the top, since a hole for the screw was not drilled.

Nice helmet all the same. One with history!

Cheers,

Emile

**battle gear** · 10-31-2014, 05:11 PM

by wdphll

Great Pics...thanks for sharing. For the most part in the six day war, did Israeli Infantry and Paratroopers use the same type of helmets? I see the above men are Infantry and not paratroopers.

Wade

they also wore a lot of M1 type helmets, some with the 3 point Israeli chin strap and some with regular US type chin straps, it looks like the ground troops mostly wore the M1 helmet.

Is this an Israeli six day war paratrooper helmet?

**Tinhat** · 10-31-2014, 08:30 PM

by wdphll

Great Pics...thanks for sharing. For the most part in the six day war, did Israeli Infantry and Paratroopers use the same type of helmets? I see the above men are Infantry and not paratroopers.

In '67 Israel were still using a mixture of helmets, the British HSAT MkII, US M1 and it's Israeli modified or produced version and the French M51 are the most common to see in combat troops. The picture below (you rightly point out are infantry not paratroopers), you can see all three of them in use in the same unit.

The British MkII was also still in use.

It's difficult to tell from black and white photos the units becuase there is little or no unit identification, but the battle for Jerusalem was the fought by a reserve paratroop brigade that was orginally intended to drop in to the Sinai but following the rapid success in the south and Hussein of Jordan's monumental error of judgement, they were redirected to Jerusalem. From these photos you can see that all of them are using HSAT MkIIs which leads me to believe that this helmet was standard issue for paratroops and other units would use any helmet available.

The thread battlegear started on Israeli helmets is good reading.
IDF ISRAELI helmets arab israeli wars, 1967 - 1982

**Tinhat** · 10-31-2014, 08:51 PM

by emileverbunt

This might be a RAC helmet that was modified by the Israeli's. The top alu rivet points to that. Normal British para helmets had a pad glued in the top, since a hole for the screw was not drilled.

Emile, I'm going to repsectfuly disagree with you. The cruciform or oval pad from MkII is a very common modification for Israeli HSAT helmets, I have owned two 1944 dated that have had this fitted, a modified RAC would still have holes where the original chin strap lugs were fitted.

Here a some pictures an Israeli para helmet that has no camo cover, it has the cruciform pad added but you can see the shell does not have any holes that would have been for the RAC strap .

Here is another one, this has glued sponge pad but you can see the chalk line that was originally around the in oval pad of the British issued helmets you mention.