AUSTRIA/CZECHOSLOVAKIA
This is obviously an Austrian M16 shell, but the liner and chinstrap were a mystery. Until I asked Bob Southee, who told me -
General view of liner.
- "Yes, that's definitely
a between-the-wars Czech. The
roundness of the rivet heads and the
"pie slice" liner
tongues identify it as such. The
Czechs did an inordinate
amount of experimenting. Those liner
tongues are similar in
shape (but not alternating color),
to those in their M1930 which
was adopted by the Spanish Republic's
Ejército Popular in 1937."
Bob Southee
Detail of the liner in the Czech refurbished Austrian shell.
A liner shot of the Czech-refurbished Austrian shell.
front view
Rear view, Austro-Czech weird thing. I bought it in a tiny militaria shop in Reading, UK. The dealer said it had come from the Czech republic, but he (nor I) was not able to give a precise identification. 'Probably German' was the best we came up with. What a pair of experts, eh....
Another liner detail.
It wasn't until I came into contact with Robert Southee that I had a believeable ID on this. An unusual item. £50 well spent - one of my most expensive buys. Bought from Tony at his shop in Reading, a source of many helmets since I re-started collecting in 2000.