| Czechoslovak Vz. 53 Helmet | |
|---|---|
 A Vz. 53/80 shell | |
| Type | Combat helmet |
| Place of origin | Czechoslovakia |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1954–present |
| Used by | SeeUsers |
| Wars | Persian Gulf War |
TheCzechoslovak M53 helmet (Czech:Přilba vz. 53) was used by theCzechoslovak Army from the early 1950s onward. Inwestern European countries and theUnited States, it is sometimes referred to as theCzech M53 helmet. These helmets are commonly mistaken for, and sometimes marketed as, SovietSSh-40 helmets, and various other very similarEastern Bloc helmets.
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AfterWorld War II, theSoviet Union providedCzechoslovakia with SovietSSh-39 and SSh-40 helmets for their newly formed military. These helmets were refitted with leather liners, much like the ones seen in the GermanStahlhelm. These designs became the Vz. 52, which was the predecessor of the Vz. 53.[1] Vz. 52 helmets that were constructed with the use of the Russian shells can be easily identified by a ring of 6 rivets around the head-band area of the shell and an additional 3 rivets up high near the top of the helmet.
Czechoslovakia exported Vz. 52 and Vz. 53 helmets to many countries. They were used by theNorth Vietnamese Army in theVietnam War, and were also sent to various Eastern Bloc countries.[2] These helmets can even be found in some modern conflicts in the Middle East, specifically inAfghanistan andIraq. Many of the helmets found in the Middle East are leftover from theCold War.[3]
In the 1980s, Czechoslovakia replaced the leather strap with a four-point nylon strap along with a leather chin guard. This helmet came to be known as the Vz. 53/80, and was used as recently as 2004.
A version of the Vz. 53/80 is currently being used byAfghanistanMilitary Police forces, renamed the Afghanistan Vz. 53/80.[4]
The Vz. 53 incorporates designs from a variety of different countries, specifically Germany and the USSR. The shape of the shell is an exact copy of the SovietSSh-39 andSSh-40 shell, and a very small percentage of helmets are actually SSh-40's refitted with the Vz. 53's leather liner. These are the original helmets sent to Czechoslovakia by the USSR in the early 1950s as a way to support their renewed military.
The leather liner is a copy of the GermanStahlhelm's, which is a good way to tell it apart from other similar Eastern Bloc helmets.[5][6][7]
As military souvenirs, Vz. 53 helmets may be marketed online as a 'Soviet WW2 Helmet' to appeal to consumers more.[8]
Although the Soviet SSh-39 and SSh-40 helmet shells do look similar to a Vz. 53, there are many ways to tell them apart. On a Czech Vz. 53 or any other variant of the Vz. 53 there should be a stamp of two crossed swords on the inside of the front of the helmet. This is the Czechoslovak seal of approval. Right next to that is a two-digit number indicating the year it was manufactured. For example, 56 means 1956. Directly below is a number 1, 2, or 3 indicating the size of the helmet.
