Description: Has a blue letter E, see last pic… In remarkable condition, see pics for full condition. Does have a few scratches. Steel Helmet, M56/76: DDR NVA Originally a World War 2 era design rejected by the H-man himself, the Soviets later picked it up and rolled it out to the East German Army. Just like the Berlin wall, these helmets are just as iconic and closely associated with the people who guarded it. A solid steel shell with gentle slopes - quite nice when laying prone as its pretty hard to dig one into your neck! The helmet straps firmly to your head and has a leather yoke backed with sponge to cushion your head from knocks. Trust the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) to keep things rugged and incredibly simple! Add one of these to your collection today. Helmet grey painted steel helmet with a six-tongued leather liner that is attached to a grey plastic adjustable cradle. The front and rear of the liner have cushion pads made of yellow foam. The complicated chinstrap is made of three short straps (right side) that are connected to form a 'Y' and buckled to the liner either side of the wearer's ear. Left side, there are two short straps, connected as above, but with a white metal single-pronged buckle attached. Although the M1956 steel helmet was adopted by the East German regime in 1957, it was first seen as a prototype replacement for the pattern of protective headwear used by Germany during the Second World War. Tested as early as 1944, it offered superior protection and was easier to produce, it also lent itself to better concealment. However ,the 'B/II' (as it was then known) was rejected by Hitler on the grounds that the existing helmet should remain the symbol of the 'Freedom Struggle.' Initially the East German Armed Forces wore the Russian pattern helmet, but the M1956 soon became the hallmark of the Soviet Union's most effective satellite state, and served well until the demise of the DDR in 1990. Quantities were later used by the Croatians in the Balkan conflict from 1991. Only the liner and chinstrap differed as modern and cheaper materials became available, the outer shell remaining consistent. Category Uniforms and insignia Related period 1945-1989 (association) Materials Buckle: metal Adjustable Cradle: plastic Helmet: steel Liner: leather Cushion Pads: sponge * Associated people and organisations * East German Armed Forces * National Volks Armee & NVA * DDR, Grenztruppe der DDR & NVA * * Associated places * East Germ * * Associated themes * Germany post-1945 * Cold War 1945-1991
Price: 249.58 USD
Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia
End Time: 2024-10-24T07:58:02.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
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All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Theme: Militaria
