Tuesday, 23 June 2009

Danish M23 helmet (Army version)

(Danish soldiers: 1940's)
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The M23 helmet was introduced the same year as the first real khaki uniform.
(More correctly referred to as yellow-brown) It was the first helmet to enter service in Denmark.

They were produced by the company A/S Glud og Marstrands Fabriker in Copenhagen.
Each helmet is made of one single piece of steel, rim, liner, a chinstrap and a decal.
It weighs ca. 1600 grammes - about 3,53 Lbs.

 Notice the front decal. Three lions with nine hearts and oak-leafs around.



A better look at the decal.



The rear of the helmet.
Notice the hanging slot in the rear skirt of the helmet.
When in "marching" order, the soldiers strapped the helmet onto their knapsacks,
and wore the "garrison cap" instead. 


The brass plate underneath the liner...
The name of the company, and the serial number (83017)



The liner... Notice the eight leather flaps... All in great condition, age considered.
The leather adjustment-cord is original to the helmet.


 The unmistakeable Danish profile.

Additional information: 

The helmet is designed by Captain in the army HE, Johnsen.  
There are two main versions of the army helmet: 1) A size "normal" 90% of the helmets. 2) A size "large" - about 10% of the helmets.
The navy had an anchor as helmet decal. 
They are made from Swedish steel thickness = 1,2mm
The first 1924 helmets had two ventilations slots.
In 1924, 1926 and 1929 the design of the liner, steel thickness and some other small features (chinstrap among others) was altered slightly.

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Source:  Om den danske stålhjelm m/1923, Våbenhistoriske Årbøger, nr. 48 / 2003 - Pages: 123-179 by Frans Løvschall and E. Kandborg
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12 comments:

  1. Outstanding post! Thanks for some great views of a remarkable helmet.

    Mannie

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  2. Great additional info.!

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  3. Thanks!
    Always trying to improve the posts with additional information!
    /M55q

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  4. Nice post! This is very informative! Great job! Kip on posting!

    military caps

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  5. These are extremely hard to find in Denmark, most of the ones you find for sale on websites are ones made right before the war for civilian use. Any idea where and how to find a proper M/23 helmet used by the Royal Danish Army?

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    1. They are hard to come by. I found my at one of the big antique fairs that are held annually in Copenhagen. I looked for years for a good un-tampered model, and finally found this. They are however getting more scarce, since a lot of them are bought by collectors from abroad.

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  6. Hi. Very nice m.23 helmet. The serial no. indicates fabrication between 1939 and 1943. The rough texture paint was introduced in 1938.

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  7. Hi. Very nice m.23 helmet. The serial no. indicates dilivery after sep. 1939. The rough texture paint was introduced in 1938. Looks like a good original helmet.
    Jesper

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    1. Thank you Jesper! And sorry for the (very) late reply. I have not been able to keep up with regular posts, due to a number of reasons. Happy New Year!

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  8. I got a question. I just bought one in an okay condition not bad and not great. Could you take a look at it?

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    1. I would be more than ready to take a look at it! Please send me good, clear photographs to: m55q.militaryequipment@gmail.com

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