SWITZERLAND
SWITZERLAND M18 - front detail
This is NOT a lightweight
civil defence helmet, despite the
cross on the front.(Well, obviously it IS a civil defence helmet now, but...)
I think, because
there are traces of green paint under
the present coat of black,
that it is a genuine M18, reissued
to civil defence services.
Note the different contours to
the shell side and the visor length
as opposed to those of the definate
M18-40 to right.
SWITZERLAND M18-40 - front detail
This definate M18-40 has a much longer front visor, the angle at which the brim meets crown is different, and the angle of the front-to-side brim is different.
Looks like a standard Swiss civil defence but not so certain... There's green paint under that black topcoat.
Compare and contrast this probably-genuine-M18 with the definate M18-40 at right.The angle at the nape is different. Maybe...
SWITZERLAND M18-40 - rear detail
...maybe definately...
OK, I admit I have real problems telling the difference between
a M18 and an M18-40. And we won't even go into the M18-43...(I'm
joking of course, even I can tell whether or not it has the shadow-black
grainy finish, but it is what's under the paint that
worries me...)
But I am convinced this is a genuine M18, though
possibly not original Army finish.
SWITZERLAND_M18_Police, front detail
I don't know. The books tell us that the peak of the M18-40 is shorter than the M18, but it seems to me to be the other way around. Or, perhaps as usual, am I the only one in the army out-of-step?
SWITZERLAND_M18_Police liner detail
The one thing that does seem clear is that this P-prefixes serial denotes Police issue, and if JP Soulier is to be believed green-painted helmets were used by the Geneva police. At some time, not detailed.
Yes, it's the liner. Is it the M18 or the M18-40. I give up.....
SWITZERLAND_M18-40 rear detail
The back of the shell of the M18-40 is noticeably more cranked.
The M18 has a straight back edge by comparion to the M18-40.
Derived from the British paratroop
(or Mk2 armour)
helmet, this was radically remodelled
by the Swiss for armoured
and other mobile troops.
The true M48-62 is a total Swiss
product, only having a faint
resemblance to the original British
design.
The shell seems thicker and better
machined than the British original, and
the liner rivets are placed differently.
This helmet, with or without the
leather neckguard, has been
used extensively, notably by Croat
forces, in the Balkan wars of
the 1990's.
The liner is a substantial improvement over the original British. In fact other than a vague outline similarity this is a totally different piece of kit to its forebears.
The current, and probably last Swiss steel - as opposed to Kevlar or ballistic plastic - helmet. Still in service, but on its way out even as I write.
NOT a paratroop helmet, despite the insistence of many ebay sellers!
The liner has obvious similarities to both that of the M48-62 and the earlier M18-40.