SSh-39 and SSh-40
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2021) |
| SSh-39 and SSh-40 | |
|---|---|
 SSh-39 helmet | |
| Type | Combat helmet |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1940−1989 (USSR)[1] |
| Used by | See users |
| Wars | |
The SSh-39 (Russian: СШ-39) and SSh-40 (Russian: СШ-40, both from стальной шлем, stal'noy shlem, lit. 'steel helmet') were two similar designs of steel combat helmet designed and used by the Soviet Union's Red Army. They were the main forms of helmet in use during World War II and had only superficial differences between them.
SSh-39
[edit]The SSh-39 was of simple, more modern design, and was much easier to manufacture than the SSh-36. The SSh-39 would be the standard design for Soviet helmets for the next 29 years, with only minor changes occurring during that time.[citation needed] It is also the design for the helmet on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow.[citation needed] The helmet was produced primarily in three factories, the Stalingrad Tractor Factory (designated CT in the ink stamp), the Red October Factory (ЗКО) also in Stalingrad, and the Lysva Metallurgical Factory (LMZ).[2] The first liner was an eight-finger leather liner, similar to those of the German M35 to M42 Stahlhelm designs.[citation needed] Next came a short production of an eight-finger liner made of Gralex.[citation needed] The final version of the SSh-39 liner was cloth, similar to the SSh-36 liner.[citation needed] All three variations of the liner were suspended from the helmet by three metal tabs, which were riveted to the shell near the top.[citation needed]
This helmet, like the earlier SSh-36, saw action in numerous campaigns before it was phased out in 1942 in favor of the SSh-40.
SSh-40
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The SSh-40 was the most commonly seen in-service helmet used by the Soviet Union during World War II.[citation needed] The only external difference between the SSh-39 and the SSh-40 was the six rivets near the bottom of the helmet, as opposed to the three near the top of the SSh-39 shell.[citation needed] Rivet placement of the SSh-40 was due to a newly introduced liner, simpler and sturdier than the previous versions.[citation needed] The liner consisted of three (later four during post-war) cloth or oilcloth pads connected with a cotton drawstring for size adjustment.[citation needed] The chinstrap was cloth and connected to D-rings on each side of the shell by tabs.[citation needed] The chinstrap ends were connected with a slip buckle, and a semi-circular metal piece was clamped to the end of the long chinstrap.[citation needed] Unlike the SSh-36 and SSh-39, the SSh-40 was only manufactured in three sizes, 1–3.[citation needed]
According to tests performed in 1942, Soviet helmets including the SSh-36 and SSh-40 provided better protection than the German Stahlhelm, but they were also heavier, making them uncomfortable to wear for extended periods of time.[3] Chronic shortages of metals coupled with a large amount of equipment lost in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa left many Red Army units without steel helmets, but even when they were issued several soldiers preferred using soft-fur lined caps.[3][4] The SSh-40 was supplemented by the SSh-60 which entered service in the 1960s and finally replaced by the SSh-68,[citation needed] though many remained in use as late as 1989, during the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.[1]
The SSh-40 saw limited use during the early stages of the Korean War by Korean People's Army troops entering Seoul in 1950, but as the war progressed and equipment shortages became more acute, steel helmets largely disappeared amongst KPA forces.[5] While some special units of the KPA were issued with steel helmets, the vast majority of troops wore simple caps.[6] During the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army used mostly sun helmets, while steel helmets such as the SSh-40 and SSh-60 were used mostly by anti-aircraft artillery crews.[7] The SSh-40 was also used by Iraqi troops during the Iran-Iraq war, though it was largely replaced by the M80 helmet.[8]
Users
[edit]Current
[edit]
North Korea − Domestically produced copies of the SSh-40 remain in use as of 2024[5]
Former
[edit]
Iraq − SSh-40, replaced by the M80 helmet[8]
Romania − SSh-40, replaced by the M-1973 helmet[9]
Soviet Union − The SSh-40 remained in use as late as 1989[1]
Vietnam − Limited usage of the SSh-40 during the Vietnam War, specially by NVA anti-aircraft artillery crews[7]
References
[edit]
- ^ a b c Galeotti 2012, p. 192.
- ^ "Russian Helmets, by Clawson, rare civil defense". Archived from the original on 2016-11-12. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ a b Forty 2024, p. 55.
- ^ Pegler 2019, p. 58.
- ^ a b Lai & Guoxing 2024, p. 97.
- ^ Lai & Guoxing 2024, p. 26.
- ^ a b Rottman 2012a, p. 24.
- ^ a b McNab 2022, p. 38.
- ^ Rottman 2012, p. 57.
Bibliography
[edit]- Forty, Simon (2024). The Soviet Infantryman on the Eastern Front. Casemate. ISBN 978-1-63624-364-1.
- Galeotti, Mark (2012). Afghanistan: The Soviet Union's Last War. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-29943-8. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- Lai, Benjamin; Guoxing, Zhao (2024). Ground Forces in the Korean War 1950–53 (1): The North Korean People’s Army and the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-6102-3.
- McNab, Chris (2022). Armies of the Iran–Iraq War 1980–88. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-4558-0.
- Pegler, Martin (2019). Sniping Rifles on the Eastern Front 1939–45. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-2588-9.
- Rottman, Gordon L. (2012). Warsaw Pact Ground Forces. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78200-447-9.
- Rottman, Gordon L. (2012a). North Vietnamese Army Soldier 1958–75. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78200-498-1.
Further reading
[edit]- Clawson, Robert W. (2002). Russian Helmets: From Kaska to Stalshlyem, 1916-2001. R.J. Bender Pub. ISBN 978-0-912138-90-9.