Todays post Christmas photo.

drm2m

Sergeant
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Location
Quebec
Todays-post-Christmas-photo.jpg
 
IMG_0079.JPG

I'm afraid my annual Christmas present to myself this time was a little pedestrian and not a weapon; however, I've been reading quite a bit lately about both World War I in general and the French military in particular and had never owned one of these Adrian helmets before, so when I found this in a local antiques mall I couldn't pass it up. I've since ordered repro replacements for the engineer insignia missing from the front and a new chinstrap, and will just have to age them appropriately.
 
Didn’t the French use something similar at the start of WW2 aswell ?
In fact they used these same helmets, having made no less than twenty million of them! This one retains its original horizon blue paint beneath traces of subsequent layers of khaki from WWII and even postwar dark blue from gendarme use.
 
During the WWII the French used a variety of Adrian Helmets, US M1 Helmets and the French Modele 45 Helmet. The French Modele 51 replaced the Modele 45. The Modèle 1951 was designed to have the same general shape as the US M1 Helmet, in an effort towards standardization within NATO. The two differ in that the M1 has a longer visor and a more pronounced downwards slope on the sides. The M1 also has a nape strap while the Modèle 1951 does not. During the First Indochina war, the U.S. Army supplied the French Union, and State of Vietnam troops with M1 helmets, which became more common than the French Modele 1951 Helmet. I used to own a pile of French Adrian Helmets with white painted insignia, and blue-gray or green in color. It might have been an Italian version.
 
Last edited:
My SSh36 helmet is currently for sale at Collector's Guild in Fredericton New Brunswick for $1,495 (on consignment)
 
Didn’t the French use something similar at the start of WW2 aswell ?
During the WWII the French used a variety of Adrian Helmets, US M1 Helmets and the French Modele 45 Helmet. The French Modele 51 replaced the Modele 45. The Modèle 1951 was designed to have the same general shape as the US M1 Helmet, in an effort towards standardization within NATO. The two differ in that the M1 has a longer visor and a more pronounced downwards slope on the sides. The M1 also has a nape strap while the Modèle 1951 does not. During the First Indochina war, the U.S. Army supplied the French Union, and State of Vietnam troops with M1 helmets, which became more common than the French Modele 1951 Helmet. I used to own a pile of French Adrian Helmets with white painted insignia, and blue-gray or green in color. It might have been an Italian version.
I neglected (because I'd forgotten about it) a 1920's re-do of the Adrian that simplified it into a one-piece stamped body mostly retaining the original shape. However, I don't think there were enough of them to supply the French army in 1940, so with a change in insignia and a new coat of paint the original M.1915's appear to have soldiered on. The repro Genie or engineer insignia I ordered on eBay arrived yesterday and fits perfectly over the silhouette left on my shell!
 
Back
Top