Adrian Helmet - History and Usage

History and Usage

At the outbreak of World War I soldiers in the French army wore the standard kepi cap, which provided no protection against injury. The early stages of trench warfare proved that even basic protection of the head would result in a significantly smaller mortality rate among front-line soldiers. Consequently, the French staff ordered development of a metal helmet that could protect soldiers from the shrapnel of exploding artillery shells. Since soldiers in trenches were also vulnerable to shrapnel exploding above their heads, a deflector crest was added along the helmet's axis. Contrary to common misconception, the M15 helmet was not designed to protect the wearer from direct impact by rifle or machine gun bullets. The resulting headgear was credited to Intendant-General August-Louis Adrian.

The helmet adopted by the army was made of mild steel and weighed only 0.765 kg (1 lb.11oz.), which made it lighter than the contemporary British Brodie helmet and the German Stahlhelm, although it also delivered less protection against shrapnel and bullets. By the end of World War I, it had been issued to almost all infantry units fighting with the French army. It was also used by some of the American divisions fighting in France. and the Polish forces of Haller's Blue Army.

The helmet proved to be fairly efficient against shrapnel and it was cheap and easy to manufacture. As a consequence, more than three million Adrian helmets were produced, and they were widely adopted by other countries including Belgium, Brazil, China, Greece, Italy (including license-built versions), Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Siam, United States, U.S.S.R., and Yugoslavia. Each of these nations added its own insignia to the front of the helmet. (The Irish Defense Forces tested the Adrian in 1928, but never adopted it.)

Because the new steel helmets offered little actual protection against bullets, some were reportedly among the first pieces of equipment being abandoned by the soldiers on the battlefield. It was also discovered that the badge placed on the front of helmets impaired the helmet's durability, which made several armies remove their national insignia altogether. Early helmets were painted blue for French troops and khaki for colonial forces. Those made after 1935 are usually painted khaki, reflecting the French army movement to a more camouflaged uniform in the 1930s.

In 1926 the Adrian helmet was modified by being constructed of stronger steel and simplified by having the main part of the helmet stamped from one piece of metal, and therefore without the joining rim around the helmet that characterizes the M15. The large ventilation hole under the comb, which had been a weak point of the old design, was also replaced with a series of small holes. The M26 helmet continued in use with the French army until after World War II, and was also used by the French police up to the 1970s. During the Interwar years Belgium began to produce their own domestically made M26 Adrians and exported them around the globe. These helmets can be distinguished from their French counterparts, because they have a slightly different comb and a wider rim. In other countries the Adrian-type helmets were also in use with the fire-fighting units, railway guards or marine infantry. Adrian helmets are still prized by collectors today.