This is a Russian SSH40 pattern helmet which is not complete but with no to may rust damage or rust roles it is still a pretty much complete shell. It is a solid piece which is not breaking up or falling apart and has small amount of original green paintwork remains. The helmet does not have any of its leather liner but it has been very nicely cleaned and is perfect for display or any collection. The helmet was recovered on the battlefield of the Seelow Heights of April 1945 in the last days of the war.
The Battle of the Seelow Heights was part of the Seelow-Berlin Offensive Operation (16 April-2 May 1945). This pitched battle was one of the last major assaults on entrenched German positions during World War II, fought over three days (16-19 April 1945). Nearly one million Soviet soldiers of the 1st Belorussian Front, including 78,556 soldiers of the Polish 1st Army under Marshal Georgi Zhukov, attacked the position known as the Gates of Berlin. They were opposed by roughly 110,000 German troops of the 9th Army, commanded by General Theodor Busse, as part of Army Group Vistula.
The Seelow Heights saw some of the fiercest fighting, though it was only one of several crossing points along the Oder and Neisse rivers during the Soviet advance. This engagement is often considered part of the wider Battle of the Oder Neisse, itself the opening phase of the Battle of Berlin. The outcome was the encirclement of the German 9th Army and the subsequent Battle of Halbe.
This is a Russian SSH40 pattern helmet which is not complete but with no to may rust damage or rust roles it is still a pretty much complete shell. It is a solid piece which is not breaking up or falling apart and has small amount of original green paintwork remains. The helmet does not have any of its leather liner but it has been very nicely cleaned and is perfect for display or any collection. The helmet was recovered on the battlefield of the Seelow Heights of April 1945 in the last days of the war.
The Battle of the Seelow Heights was part of the Seelow-Berlin Offensive Operation (16 April-2 May 1945). This pitched battle was one of the last major assaults on entrenched German positions during World War II, fought over three days (16-19 April 1945). Nearly one million Soviet soldiers of the 1st Belorussian Front, including 78,556 soldiers of the Polish 1st Army under Marshal Georgi Zhukov, attacked the position known as the Gates of Berlin. They were opposed by roughly 110,000 German troops of the 9th Army, commanded by General Theodor Busse, as part of Army Group Vistula.
The Seelow Heights saw some of the fiercest fighting, though it was only one of several crossing points along the Oder and Neisse rivers during the Soviet advance. This engagement is often considered part of the wider Battle of the Oder Neisse, itself the opening phase of the Battle of Berlin. The outcome was the encirclement of the German 9th Army and the subsequent Battle of Halbe.