Steel Helmets with out ventilator horns

Schiavona13

Schiavona13

Member
Hey guys ,

I was wondering why every now and than i come across a M16 / M17 or M18 where the ventilator horns have being taken off .
Is there a special reason for that ?
 
Some were issued without them .

I have no idea why anybody would take them off but I have seen one as well about 20 years ago were somebody removed them.

When they were actively worn sometimes the wind would blow in them and there would be a wistling noise and the guys would pack them with mud or what ever was around.

Maybe some guys were tired with dealing with the noise and popped them off.

I would imagine no easy task.
 
I have one that is missing one. Between the wars they had a steel helmet that looked like the military (m16,m17,m18) helmet, but was for civilian use as what is called a "hard hat". It is possible that some surplus military helmets may have been reworked for this roll.
 
Schiavona13 said:
Does yours still have a WOI liner ?
Click to expand...

I assume you are asking about the helmet I have missing the lug? Mine is a full military helmet, camo with the 1917 liner. The helmet came out of a VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) post 50 years ago.
 
Yes I was . ok I have being looking on the internet for periode photos of soldiers wearing helmets without the horns but non found yet :(
 
In the original "All Quite on the Western Front"(1930 Directed by Lewis Milestone, it stars Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray, Arnold Lucy and Ben Alexander) there is a scene where John Wray as Himmelstoss is wearing a helmet missing a lug.John Wray.jpg
 
Found a better picture of the helmet
500px-AQ_stick3.jpg

When looking for these pics, I came across this one from the film;
AQWF helmet.png

Not only is there no lug, there isn't a vent hole. Also note chin strap is attached to "D" ring and liner pin heads appear to be small. It maybe a prop helmet (the 1979 copy of the film used vacuum formed copies), but I would have thought that actual helmets would have been cheep in 1929.
 
Close to 30 years ago I just started collecting .
I went to a local gun show and they had a m-16 apple green and it was missing the lugs and it looked to have never had them .
The paint was about 95% and looked original with no shadow or ghosting were they would have been .
The dealer wanted $250 for the helm and I talked him down to $125 .
But I decided not to get it because at the time were would I get them ?
I did pick up a nice DAK green felt Pith along with an NSKK leather crash helmet.
I went home and opened my copy of Ludwig Baer's book on steel helmets and low and behold he had a picture of an apple green m-16 with no lugs.
They are rare and I passed on my chance to get one.
I should have brought the book with me.
 
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