Japanese general army helmet (steel helmet) of the 1930 model

An original and quite rare helmet in excellent condition lately. The helmet is completely in the original paint, with an original balaclava and chin strap. In such a condition, there is practically only one item on our market. Rare. Guarantee of authenticity.

The steel helmet, created in Japan in the early 30s and replacing the M18 helmet and other helmets used in the Japanese Imperial Army at that time, remained a standard helmet until the end of World War II. The new helmet was marked "Type 90". It is also known as M 30 and M 30-32.

The helmet of this model was made of an alloy of steel, chromium and molybdenum and had an oval shape, slightly expanding towards the bottom. There were two ventilation holes on the surface of the helmet in the upper part on the left and right. The balaclava was made of leather and consisted of three double tabs attached to a leather hoop, which in turn was attached to the shell of the helmet using three rivets. Loops were installed to the balaclava hoop from the back of the head, as well as to the right and left, into which the chin strap was threaded. Perhaps the most original detail of the Japanese helmet was the chin strap. The chin strap on the Japanese M 30 helmet is a silk or leather cord threaded through the loops mentioned above. It is characteristic that the hinges were fastened with special wire fasteners, which had the shape of the Greek letter omega. Each of the fasteners was riveted to the shell of the helmet with a pair of small rivets. This fastening was not accidental, the relatively weak fastening of the chin strap prevented the soldier from suffocating as a result of his falling into the blast zone. The chin strap was tied by means of two ribbons, of different lengths, by producing quite complex manipulations. The correct tying of the chin strap required some skill. This method of tying added difficulty to Japanese soldiers when moving quickly.

An emblem was installed in the front of the helmet - for the army it was a five-pointed star, for the navy and Marine corps - an anchor (often simply painted in yellow paint on the helmet), for coastal defense forces - an anchor with a cherry blossom. In some cases, the emblem was replaced by a vertical inscription. The helmet was painted in light brown, gray-green, dirty yellow or khaki. Sometimes a camouflage net or a cloth cover was attached to the helmet, on which the corresponding emblem was sewn.

The number of helmets produced by this model was very large, by 1937, when Japan carried out a full-scale occupation of China, the helmets produced were enough to equip the entire Japanese army. However, despite the large number of helmets produced, they disappeared after the end of the war. First of all, because a large number of M30 helmets were lost during the battles that took place during the war. The rest of the helmets suffered an enviable fate, some were simply drowned by the allies in the sea, and some were sent to be melted down. A small number of helmets were donated to equip the police created by the Americans in Japan after the war. A number of M30 helmets were placed at the disposal of the Indochina guerrilla units, which were fighting the French presence. For a long time, after the end of World War II and independence, helmets of this model were used by the Vietnamese army (information from the website helmets.ru ).