Original French WWII Complete Early Model 1926 Adrian Infantry Helmet with Liner & Chinstrap – Olive Green Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition genuine World War II M1926 French Army Infantry “Adrian” helmet. The helmet retains the original olive green paint and has the original RF (République Française) “Flaming Bomb” marked Infantry badge attached to the front, which is of the WWI variation. There are definitely some dents in the top of the shell, and the helmet has a period repaint over this damage, after which it has had additional wear and oxidation to the shell, especially around the rim.

Size is approximately US 7 (56cm). Features an original oil cloth liner in very good condition, though some of the attachment stitches are a bit loose. The chin strap is also present, and in very good condition.

This is an early model 1926 that was arsenal refinished, quite hastily as you can see paint spray on the chinstrap. This helmet was more than likely refinished, refitted and then reissued to the Free French Army forces in the liberated areas of France.

This is a great chance to get an original WWII Era French helmet!

The M15 Adrian helmet (French: Casque Adrian) 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.

In 1926 the Adrian helmet was modified by being constructed of stronger steel and simplified by having the main part of the helmet stamped from one piece of metal, and therefore without the joining rim around the helmet that characterizes the M15. The large ventilation hole under the comb, which had been a weak point of the old design, was also replaced with a series of small holes. The M26 helmet continued in use with the French Army until after World War II, and was also used by the French police up to the 1970s.

During the interwar period Belgium began to produce their own domestically made M26 Adrians and exported them around the globe. These helmets can be distinguished from their French counterparts, because they have a slightly different comb and a wider rim. In other countries the Adrian-type helmets were also in use with the fire-fighting units, railway guards or marine infantry (e.g. Japan’s SNLF). Adrian helmets are still prized by collectors today.