Hello,
I'm new here and I want to share everything I know about one of my most my favorite helmets the Czech VZ30. The Czech VZ30 is an interesting mix of the two main helmets of the time, the Czechoslovakian VZ20 and VZ28. They where never used by the Czechoslovak Army and just rejected and send to the Spanish republicans during the Spanish civil war and I heard that some made the way to Ethiopia. Since the VZ32 was a well better design and in any way better as the VZ30.
The factory configuration (as example the one infront of the middle in the attached picture) with the usually Czech brown paint, the same split pins as on a VZ28 and VZ32 with washers, a six pad liner, a lot that I saw had a steel liner band (mine don't has one) and they would come with a leader Berndorfer style chin strap or VZ32 chin strap, the same chin straps were also used on the Bulgarian M36 helmets. During the Spanish civil war these helmets would get a lot of field repairs, new paintjobs and all kind of different liners. These Helmets were also captured by nationalists and would get modifications to ad Franco badges and saw also use after the war by Francoist Spain.
These Helmets were intended to wear them with the lugs to the front but they would also be used the other way around what can be seen on period pictures and the placement of replacement liners and badges.
Please correct me if you have any more information about it I would love to hear it ;)
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