Finnish M17 Helmet

**OsiusGaming** · 08-05-2021, 09:18 PM

Here we have a helmet I have been wanting for a while: a Finnish M17 "Sohlberg" Helmet.
My example here was painted black and given to civil defense and fire services sometime during the early 1920s.

Liner made of leather is commonly seen although many other examples had liners similar to that of the SSh 36

On the liner is KM. Possibly owners' initials?

Chinstrap also seems to have been repaired at some point by simply looping the material back on itself.

History:
The M17 helmets were produced at the GW Sohlberg and VW Holmberg in Helsinki. These helmets were to be sent to Russia, but the Revolution interrupted this from happening. These helmets saw use during the Finnish Revolution on both sides.
Military use of this helmet ended after they acquired German/Austro-Hungarian M16/17/18s during the early 1920s.

Picture of Sohlberg in use during the Civil War
1918-Suomenlinna, white soldiers on a ship on the shore of Helsinki's Market Square

Helmet in use of firefighters
1941- Fire at chemical plant in Malmi

1941- Helsinki Firefightes

There exists another variation of the Sohlberg helmet with a more round, less star like, vent cap. This helmet, made by Izhora was used by the Russians in small amounts even into the 30s. Also, cascocollecion claims that production of an improved M17 Sohlberg started for a short run when Sohlbergs were being trasnferred into the civil service. I am unable to find information to backup this last claim, so any help is appreciated.

Sources:
Cascocollecion
Sa-Kuva
Finna.Fi
GunBoards

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 08-05-2021 09:18 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Verikauha** · 08-06-2021, 09:44 PM

Nice introduction, I also has researched this helmet, and will add my opinnions to helmet.

This helmet looks like it has actually used in firefighting, you can see how paint has "cracked mud" texture from heat.

Interestingly, helmet is absent off green paint under the black paint. Most likely cleaned at one point.

Helmet liner is actually reindeer leather.

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Finnish army did refurb or even produced more Sohlberg's between 1919-1922 for their own use. All those helmets has this reindeer leather liner and lighter green color than russian olive-green.
I can add color comparison pic later from my helmets.

German helmet was chosen in 1922 as primary model in future helmet purchases. But I think army continued to use french Andrian and russian Sohlberg 2 more years, I think. Phasing the rest out from service maybe 1923-24.

Helmet book says army disbanded Sohlberg helmet from service 1920, but I think it is false. Photos prove they used them longer. And there are Sohlbergs stamped "J.T.R. 1922" for Jaeger artillery regiment.

So these m/17 helmets became firefight helmets after that.
Finnish firefighters also used german pickelhaube style leather helmet in 1920-ties.

**OsiusGaming** · 08-06-2021, 09:52 PM

I am curious, is there any structural differences from the Sohlbergs made from 1919-1922?

**Verikauha** · 08-06-2021, 11:42 PM

Liner attachment pins, they are Brass/copper and Aluminium studs used to attach directly to leather band in Finnish refurb helmets.

In russian ordered helmets pins are iron and that wide backside attachment to canvas and corrugated iron band

Finnish liner pins are bigger outside than in russian ordered helmet. Didn't notice this before I started comparing them.

**OsiusGaming** · 08-07-2021, 05:22 AM

Interesting. Are you able to post a comparison photo of the two different liner pin types? Finnish vs Russian

And just so I can understand this correctly, the Finnish and Russian produced helmets first all started with the cloth SSh 36 type liners, if they were given liners in the first place because apparently a couple hundred of them left the factories bare. The Finnish helmets did not receive the reindeer leather liners until their refurbishment with civil defense, is this correct?

**Verikauha** · 08-07-2021, 07:34 PM

Here
First original, corrugated iron is missing from my helmet. Maybe that metal band was unpopular choice as cushioning, as it is often missing.

Brass stud in black painted helmet.

Aluminium stud in Finnish green helmet.

**Verikauha** · 08-07-2021, 08:33 PM

About question, book said there were only 500 Sohlberg helmets left from which reds and whites took them in use. These obviously had Ssh36 style cloth liner as it was directly taken into service.

Then it gets cloudy. Apparently Finns did complete unfinished helmets or made more of them as 500 helmets isn't enough.
After civil war army equip 4 different units with sohlbergs.
White Guards regiment (Helsinki), Vaasa ?, Käkisalmi ? and Jaeger artillery regiment.

Small story. My father bought about ~20 Sohlberg helmets in 2000 from one guys trunk. They all were this light green with reindeer leather liners.
Guy told that those helmets were stored in Helsinki until Winter war helsinki bombings, then those helmets were saved from burned warehouse. As proof those helmets had burn marks, and we recieved papers from "Helsinki Civil Guard White regiment 2.Battalion" reward papers and daily orders papers from same source.

Likely they were sold or given from army to Civil guard afterward from where those helmets didn't see use anymore. White Guard and Civil guard White Regiment are different units.

I still have few helmets left from that pile. The rest were sold inside Finland.
The answer, no, leather liners were planned for actual army use but afterwards they were sold to Firefighters and were re-painted black.

Color difference, russian original is in middle.

**Verikauha** · 08-07-2021, 08:53 PM

About my Russian helmet I want to brag about. It has Finnish unit written on it twice.

Westberg 288/II and same in liner 288/ II Bt

In Helsinki there were underground civil guard with 1-3 battalions, later named Helsingin Jääkäriprikaati.

Every battalion had different color, I Blue, 2 Yellow, 3 Green.
Too bad i have only I battalion helmet band, while helmet is written for second battalion.

**Verikauha** · 08-07-2021, 09:07 PM

Last thing is stolen pics with Finnish unit marks in them. Had no luck aqcuiring them

K.J.P and KKK and number tag.
Meaning Guards Jaeger Battalion (Helsinki, later renamed White Guard) and Machine gun company. Notice interesting leather band in cloth liner.