Russia, Empire. A First War French-Made Russian Army M15 Adrian Helmet

An extremely rare example, in steel, magnetic, exterior with a smooth surface, painted in khaki-olive green to match the Russian uniforms, the protective edge of the helmet in a magnetic steel. There is a large comb (deflector crest) affixed to the top of the helmet via four rivets, the comb slotted on both sides near its front for ventilation, the slots somewhat depressed. The front of the helmet incorporates a 65 mm (w) x 72.5 mm (h) lesser coat-of-arms of the Russian Empire, also in khaki-olive green painted steel, that is slightly loose versus the helmet. The underside of the protruding visor has markings scratched in place that appears to read "vvX". The inside has a six-panel leather liner finished in black on its upper, with a raw underside, each panel with a hole at the tip, with a drawstring fed through the holes and tied in a knot. The liner is backed with a yellowish-brown pressed fabric, with four strips of ribbed steel between the liner and the body of the helmet. The upper on the two-piece leather chin strap is finished in black, the strap with a magnetic metal buckle for length adjustment and rests upon the protruding visor, the strap remaining relatively supple, fed through the integral loops on the both sides and secured in place via a steel pin on the left side. It measures 200 mm x 280 mm x 120 mm, exhibiting three dents on the exterior, one pronounced on the left side, the other two on either side moderate, along with contact marks, scuff marks and some paint loss on the exterior, very light wear evident on the liner, as worn. 

 

Footnote: The M15 Adrian helmet was a combat helmet issued to the French Army during the First World War and was also manufactured for use by allied troops in Russia, Romania, Serbia, Belgium and the United States. 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 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 the Second World War.