this is my swedish helmet.
this is my swedish helmet.
66, 69 and 72 are the sizes of the helmets in centimeters. With the m/37 helmet a fourth size was introduced, 75.
What one usually comes across are size 66 and 72 as they weren't used as much as the normal-sized 69 shells.
The m/21 helmets stayed in the Home Guard until about the 70ies.
The m/26 helmets are marked with LI, which means they aren't military helmets. LI stands for Luftskyddsinspektionen, which directly translated means "air protection inspection". LI was the predecessor to the Swedish Civil Defence.
The m/26 helmet wasn't at all used by the Swedish army before the second world war. The only military unit that used them was the Coastal Artillery (a part of the navy).
However when the war came Sweden was to mobilise half a million men, and there was a shortage of helmets, so m/26 helmets started to be used by the army as well.
A military m/26 will most likely have a decal on the side.
In picture 2806 there's a large stamp:
Swedish single crown (replace by three crowns in ~1942)
Below it says Ing, that means engineering corp, after that there's number that says which corp.
Below that is a year, 19--, that's the year the corp revieved the helmet.
One helmet has I1 painted in the shell. That means Infanteriregemente 1, Infantry regiment 1, Svea Livgarde (Life Guards).
In the m/21 helmets the regiment number was usually stamped in the leather pads of the liner.
The helmet decal with the three crowns was adopted in 1942 and was to be applied to all military helmets.
Most of the m/21 helmets were re-painted during WW2, and most had their liners replaced. Usually at least the chin strap has been replaced.
I'm always glad to help, it's nice when one's knowledge is useful.
I have posted my whole helmet collection on this forum with detailed pictures of the m37. Take a look
G'day All,
Here's two more for the same deal and this is the last of them over here as they have now dried up in supply, anyway I'm running out of space on my helmet shelves
The 161 is this a unit number?
nice
OK here's another that found my way! now I really have to shift my helmets around
if that is a big problem for you , send the helmets in Romania at my adress.
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