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Argentine M38 (Swiss M18)

Article about: Posted this one on WAF some months ago, here it is for the WRF records. Argentina was the only export market for the Swiss M18. It was the Argentine Army's first steel helmet and was adopted

  1. #1

    Default Argentine M38 (Swiss M18)

    Posted this one on WAF some months ago, here it is for the WRF records.

    Argentina was the only export market for the Swiss M18. It was the Argentine Army's first steel helmet and was adopted there as the M38 in the late 1930's. This export model was (to the best of my knowledge) exactly the same as a regular Swiss helmet, but upon arrival they were repainted in a different shade of green and in some units a light-blue and white roundel was added (it could be painted or a decal).

    They were withdrawn from service in the Armed Forces in the 1960's and replaced by the M1. Most of these helmets were subsequently given to the Federal Police, local police forces and the Gendarmerie, and were in turn repainted in different colours. The one below has the original Army paint and decal.

    No markings on the shell. I don't know much about these Swiss lids, so any extra info regarding this helmet will be appreciated.

    Thanks for watching!

    Nick
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Argentine M38 (Swiss M18)   Argentine M38 (Swiss M18)  

    Argentine M38 (Swiss M18)   Argentine M38 (Swiss M18)  

    Argentine M38 (Swiss M18)  

  2. #2

    Default

    Well, that's a nice one. pretty much in as-original condition too. These were in service for a long time, as you point out, and ended up in some odd units; there are examples where (almost unbelievably) they were repainted in and out including the leather, with what looks like apple-green housepaint. Chinstraps were often replaced - due to wear and breakage, I guess - usually with something that did not include the original Swiss metal clip, though still using the same flexible post.

    Here are a couple of basic photos of my green one - note very crude essentially home-made strap -

    Argentine M38 (Swiss M18) Argentine M38 (Swiss M18)

    There actually is a roundel beneath the overpaints on the right side of this one, but very hard to see even with the right lighting and so far impossible to photograph. I found it as much by feel as sight


    This is the interior of an M38 reissued (so I am reliably informed) to the Argentine prison service. A sort of battleship grey, and with a replacement strap.

    Argentine M38 (Swiss M18)

    The absolute best information on the Swiss M18 and the Argentine M38 is at the World War Helmets site (registering is a mere formality) -

    World War Helmets - Accueil

    also good info at Steel Combat Helmets - Militariarg.com (better perhaps on the M38 than WWH, but WWH is the top resource on the M18).

    I'm a big fan of all the M18 variants; the Argentine helmets can be found on Mercado, the South American ebay version, but shipping to any other continent is fantastically expensive now.
    Last edited by Greg Pickersgill; 06-06-2022 at 10:43 AM.

  3. #3

    Default

    Thanks for the feedback, Greg.

    I'm registered in WWH and have also checked out the info on militariarg.com (what I wrote in my post is basically a summary of what I found in both sites). And yes, this helmet came form Mercado Libre I bought it around six months ago when I was living in Buenos Aires. If you ever find something there you're interested in, let me know, I'm now living in Lebanon, but my family is in Argentina and I visit them every year (can't promise that shipping from Beirut to the UK will be cheap though).

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