Russian Steel Helmets

Research on Russian Tankers Helmets WW2
By Ian Sadler Military Historian and Uniform Researcher

Not a lot has been written about the types of WW2 Russian tankers helmets in English; most information has been based on very few surviving examples that have surfaced in the west, at very high prices.
My research is based on hard photographic evidence sourced from my extensive library of original Russian publications. Far too many to name individually, but they fall mainly into the following categories, magazines and books about Russian tanks from 1924 to present day, magazines and books on Russian uniforms.

There are to the best of my knowledge no books or articles published in English on this single item, it is covered in general passing, i.e. statement the figure is wearing a tankers helmet.

So were to begin, let’s start with a few basic principles and then alterations can be noted as variations on the basic helmet.

The helmet is made from cloth or leather and is lined in a lighter shade of khaki material; this is cross-stitched to form a simple quilting and forms a very light padding to the inside. The shape covers the whole head, cheeks and goes on under the chin the rear ends in a neck flap. It has three padded tubes running from just above the flap at the rear up over the head to the front; the two outer ones both end both either side of the front brow pad which is a hard padded “D” shaped and the central one ends on the top edge. At the side in the region of the ears it has a inner shaped piece of cloth to hold the earphones, these are covered by a square padded piece of material, this is fastened by a single button at the top and one below both are held in place by simple loops of material, the rear of the ear flap is closed a by a pointed strap on the flap and two metal buckles on the helmet. This strap like all the straps is looped under up and through to tighten it up. At the front of the ear-flaps there is an open vertical tube of cloth. Above this ear flap there is a single vertical square but pronounce “D” padded tube. The helmet can be adjusted to obtain a better fit to the head by a single strap in the centre of the helmet at the top of the head it fastens up and over the central padded tube. It has further adjustment straps at the rear of the neck flap and can be fastened under the chin by a long strap sewn to the left hand cheek piece. The opposite side has two prongless metal buckles sewn onto a short piece of material.

As to colour it all depended on the factory and what material and colour they had in stock, remembering wartime supplies. The following colours are based on tonal values in black and white photographs, starting with the lightest and working to the darkest. Sandy khaki, khaki, olive drab in many shades, dark blue, and grey again in many shades but could be due to fading of the material, and lastly black. It was also made in dark brown or black leather. It can be lined with fur from any of the following animal’s skins rabbit, fox and wolf and lastly sheepskin. I have yet to see the so often reported white version, so till I do: it has to be discounted. Knowing my luck as soon as this is finished a wartime photo will turn up.

So now to the variations I have listed these in order of differences to the basic type.
I will start at the front as this is the most common part seen in the photographs.

Type-1
The pad across the front is very thin about half the normal size in height and is slightly a more rounded sausage tube not “D” shaped. The padded tubes that go across the head end above the front brow piece. It has three rounded padded tubes in a “V” above the ear pads, which can have square corners to the flap and are closed by a single button at the rear. Either side of the central tube above the earflaps there is a single metal eyelet for ventilation. Also there is a slight variation in the earflaps they can be pointed with a double buckle and strap fastening. At the rear the rounded neck flap is held up by a button on this type. This type is mainly made from black or dark brown leather.
One clear photograph shows the function of the hollow tubes, it is to hold the wires from the earphones. Another slight variation, the flaps over the earphone pads are longer and more pointed again closed with the press-stud or vegetable button.

Type-2
As in the first description but the strap that goes under the chin is on the right hand side and the two chromed buckles are square ones and held on a single short strap. I have not seen this type in leather only cloth.

Type- 3
In the next variation the front pad is only two thirds the height of the standard front pad and is again in a tube not “D” shaped. The central padded tube above the brow pad is double the width of the outer ones on the top of the head. This type can have the single vertical padded tube above the ear-pieces or can have two in a “V”. The flaps over the ear-pieces are pointed with a double buckle and strap fastening.
It would appear that the above can be made from leather as well as cloth.

Type -4
This has the front pad as normal, but the tubes over the head are far thicker and so is the vertical one above were the ear flaps should be; but instead it has exposed oval bakelite earphones these can be in black or brown. This type is seen in several shades of cloth from khaki to olive drab and black or brown only.

Type -5
This has an unusual feature the front pad is thicker and padded a lot more sausage shape than normal it also fits fully across the bow and the tubes over the head end above it, unlike all the others which with the two outer ones either side.
It has the single padded tube above the ear-flaps these can be rounded or pointed with a strap and buckle closure, it can have the chin fastening strap on left or right hand side.

Lastly a few notes about the rear flaps these are hard to see as sometimes they are turned up or tucked up under the helmet, in only few have I been able to identify very slight variations but not sufficient to call them a separate type, the differences are square cut edge or rounded. They can be held up by stiffening in the material or by the button or press-stud.
The other thing to note is that in some photographs it seems as if there are no cheek pieces or rear flaps to the helmet, this again is due to the fact that they are tucked up under the helmet its self.
Several last observations are that the front pad can be a sausage tube with no visible seams or it can have a hard seam along the top and bottom edge, this is mainly on the ones that are formed into a “D” shape tube. The tubes that go up and over the head can be square shaped or rounded.
Lastly the buckles are no more than loops of metal bent into shape and are in pairs, so the straps is passed through them to tighten up , there is no evidence of any prongs , these loops can be squares or “D” shaped and rhomboid , all appear to be chromed.

The earliest that I can date an example as May/June 1926, this it would seem to be a leather type of no 1. Before this date I have identified a pudding basin type with a very thin padded rim all the way round the lower edge and a padded cruciform from front to back and from ear to ear, it is made from black or brown leather and has a neck guard and fastens under the chin with a single strap and buckle. It appears in very few photographs so I am unable to say if it was a prototype or a series production.

I have included a few measurements from the wartime one I own; these are only given as a general guidance of an example. The padded brow piece is “D” shaped and is 45mm in height and the thickness is 40mm, the padded ribs over the head are 25mm wide and 12mm in height. The single padded ”D” rib over the ears is 30mm wide and 35mm maximum in depth. The ear pads are 85 mm long and 80mm in height.

I would like to thank Roger Saunders, who is the owner of Hornet and Wolf models, it was a question he asked of me about the new set of heads that he was sculpting at the time, and they were to be sporting the WW2 Russian helmet. This set me to thinking; just what information was there available?
Unable to find any concrete information I set about the task of identifying all of the various types I could from period photographs. I have only used those that gave good clear definitions to the shape and form and minor details. So any faults or omissions in this research project are mine and mine alone. Only time will tell if I have missed an important style or type out.