This is my M53, as I used it when I did my National Service in the Netherlands in 89-90. It was issued new to me in May 1989, as the shell is stamped VON 4/88, so been a year in storage before. It didn't see a lot of 'action', because I was a Land Rover driver in the Signals, and consequently spend most of my time driving rather than in a shell scrape. It is completely as I made it, with the hessian cover, over which I added a piece of net, held together with the ubiquitous bit of inner tube. The green elastic string is now very loose, having long lost its elasticity. I added some scrim from a camo net, as I took my camo quite serious. Probably the only thing I took serious...
The shell is pretty much pristine under the cover, seeing as it was only occasionally worn. We actually mostly wore the inner shell, as the outer was both heavy, and cumbersome. The shell is stamped SH88 inside. I'll dig out a picture of me wearing it, during my first day of initial training, in Venlo.
The Netherlands were also involved in the Korean War and were probably in the theater of operations until 1955.
Has this Dutch M1953 "M1 clone" already been used by Dutch soldiers in this conflict?
WHKMLA : History of the Netherlands - The NDVN (in the Korean War, 1950-1953)
The NDVN in Korea was equiped by the USA.
So it is unlikely that the early M53's got to Korea in that period.
At that time Netherlands Army was just switching from MkII's en MkIII's to the M53. The Marine Corps used the US supllied M1 since the end of the war and continued doing so.
Cheers,
Emile
Last edited by emileverbunt; 06-25-2022 at 02:31 PM. Reason: spelling
Some more dutch M53 helmets there:
"M1" which nationality ?
I just updated this thread on the subject of "Dutch" "M53" there:
"M1" which nationality ?
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