Spanish Model 65 M-1 Medic

[Mark K]

A new helmet I thought I might share with the forum a Spanish Model 65 M-1 Medic with factory light olive green, matte, IR paint ( " Infra-Red "). which is sporting the plastic chincup and 8-shaped hardware which tells us that this helmet was used by the Marines and not the infantry...This particular helmet came out of the private collection of Joseba Revuelta in Spain...I have always struggled to take good high res pictures indoors but as winter is on us I now have little choice so please pardon the quality as they are not quite up to snuff as it were more information can be found on these helmets at the link below
ESPAÑOL 65

Regards Mark

[James C]

A real nice piece Mark and sure does display well ,interesting to learn of the special paint coating ,Great link too as i have learned a great deal on these now ,visually at least but i am struggling on the translation
The chunky chinstrap catch looks easy enough to undo in a hurry and i have spotted some very nice camo covers on that link too especially the autumn hues of the Leibermuster style version
Can i ask are the shells locally produced or mainly US in origin
Kind regards James

[Mark K]

Hi James the M-65 NATO was produced in Spain note of interest these helmets are rimless

Regards Mark

[James C]

Thanks Mark for the enlightenment and you know i never noticed the lack of rim ,Its been a long day
Kind regards James

[Mark K]

Sorry for the brief explanation James just finishing my last day and rotating out for days off so lots to do ...

Regards Mark

[Greg Pickersgill]

I have several M65, and it is an interesting helmet, and one that seems little known. Most collectors know of the classic indigenous Spanish types, the M21, the Eibar, the Modelo Z, even the various Marte, but this M1 clone is the lost boy of the bunch. It's not helped by the fact that the Spanish also took delivery of a lot of genuine ex-US M1 which were also used for some years, often with variously modified or locally made liners, some of which are frankly poor products. Those shells are recognisable by the rim on the shell, expected for an M1, where the Spanish-made shells have no rim. Another quick ID feature is that the paint finish on the Spanish shells is often quite basic, only a single coat that easily scratches showing bare metal and often flakes off in scarily large patches.

Like Mark's, some of mine are also from Joseba's collection, and as I have been using his website for many years that gives them a LOT of extra value for me. It's rather sad that Joseba is suffering from a variety of maladies, including the unavoidable one of ageing, and he has not only given up on updating his website (as of last year) but also has been disposing of his collection. A real true collector, deeply enthusiastic about passing on information - I owe him a lot, and the helmets which were once his - with his labels inside! - will be an important part of my own collection for what I hope will be a long time.

I did a sort of quick guide to the M65 series, using the information on Joseba's pages (ESPAÑOL 65) as a guide. I know I ought to include appropriate illustrations - I'll get back to that later I hope - but here's the basic text for a start. NB where it says 'FEDUR STAMP' that means an embossed stamp of the FEDUR manufacturer in the Spanish-made liner. But not all Spanish liners have this. They do always have seemingly over-elaborate collections of straps and so on.

M65 SERIES A (FEDUR STAMP)

LEATHER CRADLE, WITH X-STRAPS MADE OF FABRIC BEANEATH, PINNED BY ROUND STUD.

LINER STRAP - SINGLE FABRIC STRAP

SHELL STRAP - TWO-PIECE FABRIC WITH PLASTIC CHINCUP AND '8' TYPE CATCH.


SERIES B (FEDUR STAMP)

LEATHER CRADLE WITH X-STRAPS AS IN SERIES A

LINER STRAPS - A-TYPE SIDEPIECES WITH SINGLE FABRIC STRAP WITH FABRIC CHINCUP
RECTANGULAR NAPE STRAP FITTED AT THREE POINTS

SHELL STRAP - SINGLE PIECE FABRIC WITH FABRIC CHINCUP

BOTH LINER AND SHELL STRAPS FASTEN WITH ROLLER/FRICTION BUCKLES


SERIES C (FEDUR STAMP)

US M1 LATER TYPE LINER AND HEADBAND, OVERLAPPING FABRIC WITH BUCKLE ADJUSTMENTS AT ENDS

LINER STRAPS - A-TYPE SIDEPIECES WITH SINGLE FABRIC STRAP WITH FABRIC CHINCUP. FASTEN WITH ROLLER/FRICTION BUCKLE
RECTANGULAR NAPE STRAP FITTED AT THREE POINTS

SHELL STRAP - TWO PIECE FABRIC STRAP WITH FABRIC CHINCUP, '8' FASTENER, PLUS TWO LARGE POPSTUDS AS SAFETY RELEASE


SERIES D (NOTE - NO FEDUR OR OTHER MAKER STAMP)

US M1 TYPE LINER AND HEADBAND, OVERLAPPING FABRIC WITH ADJUSTMENTS AT ENDS

LINER STRAPS - A-TYPE SIDEPIECES WITH SINGLE FABRIC STRAP WITH FABRIC CHINCUP. FASTEN WITH ROLLER/FRICTION BUCKLE
RECTANGULAR NAPE STRAP FITTED AT THREE POINTS

SHELL STRAP - ONE PIECE FABRIC STRAP WITH FABRIC CHINCUP (MAY HAVE PLASTIC CHINCUP)

[James C]

Thank you Greg for the clarification and my understanding with most of the clone M1's issued is that initially we can assume a certain amount of US M1's were used from the onset before the home grown clones were introduced and i see this trend copied amongst many of the fledgling Nato member countries most noticeably in the early post war years but with Spain they were a late entry some time in the early 1980's so i wonder if those Us examples were contemporary to that time period ,can i say it is am i safe to assume those Spanish examples with a rim are US in origin and those devoid are manufactured in house

[Greg Pickersgill]

James, you understand correctly. US -made M1 were supplied, but rather later than they were to other European nations. They were used with the original liners which were often modified in Spain, or with new Spanish liners. Obviously all these US helmets had applied rims, as per normal.

The true Spanish M65 shell has no rim, and almost always an inferior paint finish compared to the US product. They should have Spanish liners (as detailed in my previous posting) which are made of a distinctly poor plastic and often break, usually at the area between liner rivets and the edge. There will of course be exceptions where older US liners may be in place. Another exciting (that's one way of describing it...) point is that the liners fit extremely tightly into the shells and can be *very* difficult to extract. A warning - do NOT be tempted to pull hard on any part of the liner fittings or chinstrap! The best way to get the out is working a blunt blade around the gap and tugging gently all around, gripping the liner itself if you can. And when you have it out, replace it back to front otherwise the same problem reasserts itself.

[Mark K]

Many thanx for chiming James and Greg thank you for taking the time to respond in such detail and for your tireless research your quick guide to the M-65 will prove invaluable in the future for quick ID and reference...

Regards Mark

[lobo419]

Hi Mark, I would like to add some more information about these helmets and the original M1c that arrived in Spain in the 50s, I know them well since I used them in the 80s as a paratrooper.
These M1c helmets with all their characteristics that were delivered to the paratroopers who used them in the IFNI war were completely original with liners especially westinghouse, due to the extreme and hard use they received (it must be taken into account that they were used until year 1987) more than 30 years of use, some arrived with the original straps until the early 80s, the A yokes and the rest of the suspension deteriorated and the most comfortable for the companies was to replace them with other premises of own manufacture, also step with the westinghouse liners, when they were damaged they were replaced by others of German manufacture to which the new straps were added, these parachute helmets are recognizable especially because they have on the front edge of the helmet the identification by colors of the companies, except for the military police who painted the letters PM and the corresponding number, if the border is not painted it did not belong to the paratroopers because that all were painted.

The M65 helmets manufactured in Spain were weak and the steel helmet were smaller than the original one, the cloth covers were bad, loose and wrinkled and the liners were broken with extreme ease so the paratroopers did not use it, on one occasion ending its operating life of the M1, replaced a broken liner with one of these Fedur liner, replacing all the straps and placing them the 'Paras' style straps, but it was rare and very scarce as a measure of last resort.
The Marine Corps had them served some years and they are recognized by a green plastic chin guard and the closure at 8 of the strap like that of the sanitary helmet of the post.

Early helmets original straps 1965



Helmet with original straps 1983



Last days of m1 with modified straps