M/1923 Helmet | |
---|---|
Type | Combat helmet |
Place of origin | Denmark |
Service history | |
In service | 1923–1948 |
Used by | Royal Danish Army Royal Danish Navy |
Wars | Second World War Winter War |
Production history | |
Designer | H.E. Johnsen G.A.P. Willadsen-Nielsen [1] |
Designed | 1923 Changes made in: 1924 1926 1929 |
Manufacturer | A/S Glud & Marstrands Fabrikker |
Produced | 1923–1946 [2] |
No. produced | 105,300 (all versions) The number of civilian M/1923/41 helmets are unknown. [2] |
Variants | M/1923 M/1923/24 M/1923/26 M/1923/29 Civilian M/1923/41 [2] |
Specifications | |
Weight | 1.2–1.8 kg (2 lb 10 oz – 3 lb 15 oz) |
Length | 276–310 mm (10.87–12.20 in) |
Width | 272–286 mm (10.71–11.26 in) |
Height | 139–182 mm (5.47–7.17 in) |
The M/1923 helmet was a combat helmet issued to Danish troops during the interwar period and saw service in the Second World War. It was the first helmet to be issued to the Royal Danish Army and Navy. The helmet was produced by the Danish company A/S Glud & Marstrands Fabrikker. [3]
The M/1923 was made from a single piece of Swedish steel and was produced in both military and civilian versions. [4] The military version contained either an Army or Navy emblem on the front, depending upon which branch it was issued to. A first variant, of which only a couple of thousand pieces were produced, had two ventilation holes in the back of the shell which were omitted in the second variant. Army emblems were produced by prisoners at Vridsløselille Prison. [5] From the 1930s the helmets were covered with textured grey or a light shade of khaki paint. [6] The inside of the helmet was equipped with a leather chin strap and liner consisting of eight flaps. [2] On the rear of the helmet, there is a slit allowing for a carabiner to be attached to the soldier's equipment, when the helmet was not worn. [7]
During the Second World War a number of different versions of civilian M/1923 helmets were made. They are among collectors known as the M1923/41. [8] It is plausible that Glud & Marstrand made the M/1923/41, as they already had the machinery tooled for the production of the army helmets. The civilian version was issued to various non-military organizations such as, police, fire departments, and the press. The civilian version did not have a decal on the front, and was made from lighter steel. It had a lower quality liner and chin strap. [8] Unlike the military version it remained in service with these groups and the Civil Defence after the war. [9]
Following World War I the Danish government fell into line with other industrialized nations and began to equip their soldiers with steel helmets. This new trend emerged from the trenches of World War I where steel helmets greatly reduced casualties. The Danish military accepted plans for the helmet in 1923 from army Captain H. E. Johnsen and chief engineer G.A.P. Willadsen-Nielsen. [1] The helmet saw combat during the German invasion of Denmark, Operation Weserübung, on April 9 1940, and very limited use with the Danish volunteers in Finland during the Winter War.
Following the end of the war in 1945, Denmark gradually phased out the M/1923 in favour of the M/48 steel helmet, which was modelled after the American M1 helmet. [10] This move coincided with many other NATO members who adopted the same design. The M/1923 is unique in that it was never exported internationally making Denmark the only country ever to use it. This contrasts with other helmets of the era such as the French Adrian helmet and the British Brodie helmet, which were widely distributed around the world. Moreover, this helmet's distinctive appearance makes it easily recognizable from other interwar steel helmets.[ citation needed ]
Oberstleutnant is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish rank överstelöjtnant is a direct translation, as is the Finnish rank everstiluutnantti.
The Royal Danish Army is the land-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures, equipment and training methods, abandoning its traditional role of anti-invasion defence, and instead focusing on out of area operations by, among other initiatives, reducing the size of the conscripted and reserve components and increasing the active component, changing from 60% support structure and 40% operational capability, to 60% combat operational capability and 40% support structure. When fully implemented, the Danish army will be capable of deploying 1,500 troops permanently on three different continents continuously, or 5,000 troops for a shorter period of time, in international operations without any need for extraordinary measures such as parliamentary approval of a war funding bill.
The Brodie helmet is a steel combat helmet designed and patented in London in 1915 by Latvian inventor John Leopold Brodie. A modified form of it became the Helmet, Steel, Mark I in Britain and the M1917 Helmet in the US. Colloquially, it was called the shrapnel helmet, battle bowler, Tommy helmet, tin hat, and in the United States the doughboy helmet. It was also known as the dishpan hat, tin pan hat, washbasin and Kelly helmet. The German Army called it the Salatschüssel. The term Brodie is often misused. It is correctly applied only to the original 1915 Brodie's Steel Helmet, War Office Pattern.
The Stahlhelm is a German military steel combat helmet intended to provide protection against shrapnels and fragments or shards of grenades. The term Stahlhelm refers both to a generic steel helmet and more specifically to the distinctive German military design.
The M1 helmet is a combat helmet that was used by the U.S. military from World War II until 1985, when it was succeeded by the PASGT helmet. The M1 helmet has become an icon of the US military, with its design inspiring other militaries around the world.
The Adrian helmet was an influential design of combat helmet originally produced for the French Army during World War I. Its original version, the M15, 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 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.
Imperial Japanese Army uniforms tended to reflect the uniforms of those countries who were the principal advisors to the Imperial Japanese Army at the time.
The Madsen is a light machine gun that Julius A. Rasmussen and Theodor Schouboe designed and proposed for adoption by Colonel Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen, the Danish Minister of War, and that the Royal Danish Army adopted in 1902. It was the world's first true light machine gun produced in quantity and Madsen was able to sell it in 12 calibres to over 34 countries. The gun saw extensive combat usage for over 100 years, with continued use in limited quantities worldwide into the 2010s. The Madsen was produced by Compagnie Madsen A/S.
The Mk III Helmet is a steel military combat helmet that was first developed for the British Army in 1941 by the Medical Research Council. They were issued to troops in April 1944 and then worn in combat for the first time by British and Canadian troops on D-Day. Mk III and Mk IV helmets were used alongside the Brodie helmet for the remainder of the Second World War. It is sometimes referred to as the "turtle" helmet by collectors, because of its vague resemblance to a turtle shell, as well as the 1944 pattern helmet.
The Ranks and insignia of Royal Danish Army follows the NATO system of ranks and insignia, as does the rest of the Danish Defence. The ranks are based around German and French military terms.
The SSh-60 (СШ-60 was a product improvement of the Soviet SSh-40 steel helmet of the Soviet Army and entered production around 1960. It was not fundamentally different from the previous World War 2 era SSh-40, the primary difference being an updated liner/suspension system.
The OR-201, also designated Kasda OR-201 Model 76 or M-76 for short, is a combat helmet of Israeli origin. Developed in the 1970s, the OR-201 was one of the world's first ballistic helmets. It was subsequently exported on a large scale and has been used by many militaries worldwide.
The M/84 camouflage pattern, is the former camouflage pattern of the Danish military. The M/84 is a derivative of the Flecktarn B pattern produced by the German firm Marquardt & Schulz. Using the same shapes and pattern, the number of colours was changed from 5 to 3 – choosing olive green, light green and black to better match the colouration of the Danish woodland environment.
The Uniforms of the Royal Danish Army distinguish soldiers from other service members. Royal Danish Army uniforms were originally influenced by French, Prussian and Russian military traditions. However, in more recent times, its uniforms have been characterized as being influenced by British uniforms, and, more significantly, American uniforms.
The M1942 helmet is a military steel combat helmet used by Spain from its adoption in 1942 to its replacement by a Spanish M1 copy in the 1980s.
The M1921 Helmet, also known as the M21, along with “Sin ala” for its vertical sides, is a steel combat helmet developed alongside the M1926 helmet in 1926 for use by the Spanish Army. The model was never formally adopted, with the army deciding in favor of the M1926. The exact reasoning for the designation "M1921" is not known as it was developed later.
The M34 is a steel combat helmet used by the Netherlands from its introduction in 1934 replacing the previous M23/27, to the invasion by Nazi Germany in 1940. From which it was replaced by the M53 helmet, a local copy of the American M1 helmet. A tropical variant of this helmet was produced for use by the Dutch East India Army in present-day Indonesia known as the KNIL model.
The Western Regional Command was the overall command of all Royal Danish Army units in Jutland and on Funen. It was split into four military regions, and was responsible for the regional defence. In 1990, the Regional Commands were disbanded and control was collected at the newly created Army Operational Command.
The Eastern Regional Command was the overall command of all Royal Danish Army units on Zealand. It was split into four military regions and was responsible for regional defence. In 1990, the Regional Commands were disbanded and control was collected at the newly created Army Operational Command.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)