BACKGROUND: The French were the first to have a general issue, "modern ", steel helmet in WWI and developed the classic "Adrian" style helmet in early 1915 followed by the British army later that year and by the German’s in 1916. By September of 1915 most French front line personnel had received the helmet and by the end of the year over three million had been manufactured and distributed. The next helmet produced by the French was the M26. It differed from the M16 by being pressed out of a single piece of manganese steel and had a different liner making it easier to manufacture. While other countries began replacing their "Adrian" style helmets the Belgians maintained the use of the design with their own manufactured M26 which was adopted in 1931. The Belgian helmet differed from the M26 by having a slightly flatter visor due to the pressing technique used.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: A light weight, stamped, "Adrian" helmet, consisting of a manganese steel shell, an aluminum top comb and folded mild steel rim. The helmet retains almost all of its period khaki brown paint with some minor wear to the rim and light wear to the comb. The top comb, attached by four split rivets, has ventilation slots to either side of the crown, over eight small circular perforations to the apex of the helmet itself. Attached to the front of the helmet is a steel Belgian lion head painted the same color as the helmet. There are double rivets to each of the cardinal points immediately above where the visor begins to flare out. These rivets hold in place four tabs to the interior which bend back upon themselves and expand into open rectangles. The interior of the helmet retains its original six finger, blackened leather liner with its original tie string although the string has broken. The liner has felt padding along the exterior of its sweatband, has all of its fingers intact and is still supple showing only light soiling mostly around the headband area. Stamped to the one of the fingers is the size "56" above the letters "XB" while "G5682" is in white paint to another. The liner attaches to the rectangular pieces by means of small blackened steel prongs sewn to the headband of the liner. The tabs over each ear have square metal "rings" for the chin strap which are slightly deformed from use. The natural leather chin strap is folded back upon itself and fixed with an alloy rivet around one of the rings and is looped around the other ring and through a painted steel adjusting buckle. The chin strap exhibits minor chafe wear and age soiling and has stiffened with age. Almost all of its original paint has been retained to the interior and exterior of the helmet with the exterior showing a few minor dents while the comb retains about 85% of its paint with moderate denting and usage wear. A very nice example of a M26/31 Belgian manufactured helmet.

GRADE****1/4                             PRICE $410.00