A while back, I sent my Hungarian model 1938 combat helmets home with Sean for some photography work. The photos of these two helmets were provided to a friend and author of a book on Hungarian helmets that is currently in the works. Hopefully we will enjoy the fruits of his labor.
The first example I would like to share is a fairly archetypal example of the Hungarian Model 1938 steel helmet. It is a size 64 shell made by the Mavag firm.
My other Hungarian Model 1938, while not quite in as good of a condition, is a bit more interesting. This helmet shell, a Mavag made size 62, started out to be a Air Defense/Civil Defense helmet. However, instead, the helmet shell was repainted and reissued as an army helmet. The original blue shell paint can be seen peeking through in spots. The liner band was always intended to be army issue as it has only one layer of green paint. The interior is profusely stamped with the name “Alfred R. Richardson”. I can only guess that this is the name of a U.S. Serviceman, or possibly the child of one. The number of times this helmet has been stamped, seems rather “kid” like in my opinion. Regardless, this is a rather stunning helmet due to the brightness of the Hungarian green paint.
