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1930'S Polish Army Helmet -
The European theater of World War II opened with the German invasion of Poland on September 1,
1939. The Polish Army was pushed back.
After Poland had been overrun, a government-in-exile, an armed forces, and an intelligence
service were established outside of Poland. These organisations contributed to the Allied effort
throughout the war. Polish Army was recreated in the West, as well as in the East (after German
invasion of the Soviet Union).
This is a fine example of a 1930's Polish Army helmet. Model Wz31. Note the original
finish (cork like). The liner consists of the standard 3-piece leather
construction. Complete with a leather chin strap. The fastener for
the chin strap is very unusual.
The Polish helmet has a close ressemblance to the American M-1 style. The paint finish is very
interesting, it may retain remnants of cork in the mix. Small rivets can be seen in the outer dome
area. Their purpose is to hold the liner in place.
A squared ring is welded to the body of the helmet as a means to secure the leather chin strap.
The liner itself is folded over and attached to an aluminum ring that covers the entire circumference
of the helmet.
Three leather fingers extend out and point towards the crown where each splits in two at about
midpoint. each sub-finger has a brass grommet. This is where a lace would be threaded and
form a circle. The top of the soldier's head rested here.
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Most modern military helmets saw their birth during World War One. The need to address the
multitude of head wounds in the trenches was the foundation for the widespread development
and deployment of helmets.
This section discusses several of the military helmets of the world.
The helmets from various armies came in a variety of designs. There were a large number
of different types developed. In many cases the use of the spilled over into non-military
applications such as police and civil defense. most of the helmets during WWI and WWII were
constructed of a combination of metal and leather.
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The photo shows the three piece leather liner. Holes are located on the end of each flap. A
string threads through the holes and secures them shut. This facilitates the placement of
the helmet on the head of the soldier.
The name of the owner has been written on the back of the helmet. White paint was used. It was
a fairly common practice for soldiers from many countries to do this.
A leather chin strap is employed to secure the helmet. The strap is riveted in a loop patern
to "D" rings welded to the side of the helmet.
The author is not aware that this type of headgear is currently being
reproduced.
However, there is no guarantee that it is not. in many cases
it is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because
the quality of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with
the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of this headgear.
Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of
the collectible.
If you have an interest is seeing other Polish military helmets, you can do so by
going to our Polish Military headgear
identification guide. Where we cover multiple pieces.
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