Austrian Helmets

During the early days of the German Army (Heer), many Austrian pattern World War I helmets were requisitioned for use by the procurement centers that were responsible for supplying German soldiers with equipment.  Following the Annexation of Austrian (Anschluss) in 1938, the Austrian Army was integrated and absorbed into the German Army.  However, even prior to this time Austrian helmets were used by German forces.  One of the many reasons was related to the fact that the Austrian helmets could be modified to accommodate the new M1931 helmet liner with little effort.  This was due, in part, to the fact that Austrian helmets did not have the large, bulky interior bolts for attaching the chinstrap as found on German M1916 and M1917 helmets.  In addition, they also were often made in larger sizes.  Helmets of this kind were painted a light field green color using smooth paint inside and out.  Twin decals were applied as shown in the diagrams and photographs.  These consisted of the National Tricolored decal instituted in 1934, and the standard silver and black "Wehrmachtsadler" depicting the German Armed Forces eagle insignia.

See More Photos of an Austrian Helmet

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This Information Track provides historical facts pertaining to Austrian Pattern Transitional Helmets from 1935-1945.  Individual links related to this subject are outlined below.