Soviet helmets during World War II
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. You can assist by editing it now. A how-to guide is available, as is general documentation. This article has been tagged since January 2007. |
There were three helmets used by the Russians, or Soviet Union, during WWII. They were the M-36, the SSh-39, and the SSh-40. The number designation of each model signifies the year it began production. Many of the M-36s, most of the SSh-39s, and all of the SSh-40s were stamped with ink on the inside rear of the shell to designate the production factory, size, and year of manufacture. The stamp was usually, but not always, in two rows and outlined with a rectangular border. The top row was stamped POCT (pronounced Roast, which translates simply as size), then followed by a number signifying the size, between 1 (smallest) and 4 (largest). The bottom row had an abbreviation for the manufacturer on the left (i.e. 3K0, CT, or LMZ), and the year of manufacture on the right, usually just the last two digits of the year. This number was followed by the Cyrillic "g", similar in appearance to the lower-case Enghlish "r", which is the first letter of the Russian word "Goad", or year.
Contents |
[edit] M-36
The M (modyel, or model) 36 was designed by Aleksandr A. Shvartz, and began production in 1936. It's large front rim and wide flares over the ears provided good protection for the wearer. The German M35, introduced a year before the Russian M-36, served as a model for the development of the M-36. The M-36 was also fitted with a comb on top, which served for ventilation, and there are also apocryphal claims that the comb was designed to deflect saber blows. The first liner for the M-36 was made of leather, and proved fragile and unreliable. The second and final liner was made of cloth. The chinstrap transitioned from leather on the early models to cloth on the later models. The helmet was produced in four sizes, small (1) to extra large (4).
The M-36 was worn by Soviet soldiers in several campaigns of the late 1930s and 1940s, including the Khalkin Gol campaign against the Japanese in 1938 (giving it the nickname "Khalkingolka"),[1] the Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940, the 1939 invasion of Poland, the 1940 invasions of the Baltic states and Bessarabia, and in WWII, or as it is known in Russia, the Great Patriotic War. It was also distributed to the Republican soldiers of the Spanish Civil War in conjunction with Soviet support of the Spanish government. During the Finnish Winter War, the cold temeratures forced many soldiers to tear out the helmet's liner so the ushanka, or fur hat, would fit under the metal shell.
Production of the M-36 ended in 1941.
[edit] SSh-39
The SSh(stalshlyem, or steel hat)39 was of simple, elegant design, and was much easier to manufacture than the M36. The SSh-39 was the model for Soviet helmet design for the next 29 years, with only minor changes occurring during that time. It is also the design for the helmet on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow. The helmet was produced primarily in three factories, the Stalingrad Tractor Factory (designated CT in the ink stamp), the Red October Factory (3K0) also in Stalingrad, and the Lysma Metallurgical Factory (LMZ).[2] The first liner was an eight-finger leather liner, similar to the German M35-M42. Next came a short production of an eight-finger liner made of Gralex. The final version of the SSh-39 liner was cloth, similar to the M-36 liner. All three variations of the liner were suspended from the helmet by three metal tabs, which were riveted to the shell near the top. This helmet, like the M-36, saw action in numerous campaigns before it was phased out in 1942 in favor of the SSh-40.
[edit] SSh-40
The SSh-40 was the last helmet used by the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War. The only external difference between the SSh-39 and the SSh-40 were the six rivets near the bottom of the helmet, as opposed to the three near the top of the SSh-39 shell. Rivet placement of the ssh40 was due to a newly-introduced liner, simpler and more sturdy than the previous versions. The liner consisted of three cloth or oilcloth pads connected with a cotton drawstring for size adjustment. The chinstrap was cloth and connected to d-rings on each side of the shell with tabs. The chinstrap ends were connected with a slip buckle, and a semi-circular metal piece was clamped to the end of the long chinstrap. Unlike the M-36 and SSh-39, the SSh-40 was only manufactured in three sizes, 1-3.
