Original French M1915 Adrian Infantry Helmet – Horizon Blue with Original Chinstrap Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a nice example of a genuine World War I M1915 French Army “Adrian” steel helmet. The helmet retains a good amount of the original “dark horizon blue” paint, along with the original French “Flaming Bomb” badge. The badge has the standard R F on the “bomb”, for Republique Francaise.

Interestingly, this helmet appears to have been originally painted in mustard brown, the color used for Colonial and Zouave Helmets. The helmet was then painted Horizon Blue on the exterior, whether this was done in the factory, or at a depot after being salvaged from the battlefield and painted for general issue is unknown. Overall condition of the helmet is nice, though it does show its age. The shell shows some minor dings on the front. There are also scratches and heavy paint wear consistent with age and long service.

The original chinstrap is still intact, as well as the original corrugated aluminum helmet liner spacers.

If you were looking for a nicely priced Adrian Helmet to fill out your WWI collection, this is a great chance!

The M15 Adrian helmet was a combat helmet issued to the French Army during World War I. It was the first standard helmet of the French Army and was designed when millions of French troops were engaged in trench warfare, and head wounds from the falling shrapnel generated by the new technique of indirect fire became a frequent cause of battlefield casualties. Introduced in 1915, it was the first modern steel helmet and it served as the basic helmet of many armies well into the 1930s.

Initially issued to infantry soldiers, in modified form they were also issued to cavalry and tank crews. A subsequent version, the M26, was used during World War II.