After the WW I Finnish Defence Forces chose
German m/17 (m/16) as its standard steel helmet model.
Only a small part of the army was although equipped with
helmets before the WW II and when the war broke in Europe
in 1939 more helmets were urgently bought from Hungary
and Italy. Smaller batches of mixed models were also
obtained with other transactions and from foreign
volunteers.
.
.
Winter War 1939 - 1940
.
| Designation/type: |
Profile: |
Colour: |
Pcs: |
Notes: |
30.11.1939:
|
| German m/17 |
 |
field-grey |
75.000 |
15.000 were bought from France in
1919 and
directly from Germany during the
1920's.
Also models m/16 and m/18. |
Obtained
during the war:
|
| Hungarian m/38 |
 |
grass-green |
75.000 |
Bought from Hungary. 23.000 pcs
arrived in
February, 29.000 pcs in March and 23.000
pcs in April 1940. |
Italian m/33
.
. |
 |
green-grey |
30.000 |
Bought from Italy during the Winter
War. |
Polish m/35
.
. |
 |
? |
1.000 |
Came together with other models. |
Other
steel helmets received:
|
Swedish m/21
Swedish imp. m/21
Swedish m/26 |
 |
dk olive-green
blue-grey
blue-grey |
8.000 |
Steel helmets of Swedish Volunteer
Group
(SFK), m/26 is the most numerous
model. |
| Danish m/23 |
. |
? |
? |
Steel helmets of Danish volunteers. |
.
Russian
steel helmets m/36 were not used by the Finnish troops
although several tens of thousands were captured during
the Winter War. Most Russian helmets were without liner
because they were used together with winter caps. Finnish
Army lost also several thousand steel helmets during the
Winter War.
In 1940 - 41 steel helmets were arranged so
that most infantry battalions had initially similar kind
of models but supplements normally mixed helmets soon. In
1940 a new Swedish steel helmet m/37 was tested in
Finland and accepted in licence production as Finnish m/40.
This model offered probably the best ballistic protection
of all helmets used in Finland during the WW II.
.
Continuation War 1941 - 1944
Lapland War 1944 - 1945
.
| Designation/type: |
Profile: |
Colour: |
Pcs: |
Notes: |
25.6.1941:
|
German m/17
.
. |
|
field-grey |
70.000 |
|
Hungarian m/38
.
. |
|
grass-green |
75.000 |
External shape similar to German m/35. |
Italian m/33
.
. |
|
green-grey |
30.000 |
|
Czechoslovakian m/34
.
. |
 |
matt-khaki |
50.000 |
Bought in spring 1940 (from
Germany?). |
Mixed models:
Polish m/35
(Danish m/23)
Swedish m/21
Swedish imp. m/21
Swedish m/26
. |
|
?
?
dk olive-green
blue-grey
blue-grey |
10.000 |
Used mainly by Coast and Home Troops.
.
.
Basically all Swedish models are
versions of official m/21.
The most numerous model. |
Obtained
during the war:
|
Finnish m/40
.
. |
 |
olive-green |
75.000 |
Licence manufactured Swedish m/37;
produced
in several batches during the whole war;
last batch was ordered in the summer of 1944. |
German m/35-40
German m/35-42
.
. |
 |
dark-grey
dark-grey |
25.000
24.000
?
|
Ordered in June 1941 from Germany.
Obtained in July 1943; both models.
Obtained in the summer 1944, number
of helmets and their models not
known. |
Swedish m/37
.
. |
|
olive-green |
20.000
|
Ordered in June 1941 from Sweden. |
War
booty:
|
Russian m/40
.
. |
 |
olive-green
(re-painted) |
20.000 |
Original colour matt dark green.
Used by second line and anti-aircraft
troops. |
.
During
the Continuation War Finnish Army lost about 64.000 steel
helmets, mainly in the summer 1944. Many soldiers threw
their helmets (and field shovels) away to save weight
when escaping fast advancing Russians during the hot
summer campaigns in Karelian Isthmus and East-Karelia.
.
|
