A great example of an early-war Soviet SSCH-39 steel helmet, produced just before the German invasion of 1941. The SSCH-39 was the successor to the SSCH-36 and was the standard Soviet combat helmet from 1939 onward, with its shell design carried forward until the late 1960s. This particular helmet retains its rare pre-1940 canvas bowl liner system with a gray tarpaulin reinforcing band — a feature seen only in the earliest SSCH-39 production runs, later replaced in 1940 with the three-finger leather liner.
Key Features
Model: SSCH-39 (Stalnoi Schlem)
Shell: Textbook Soviet olive green, matching inside and outside
Liner: Early canvas bowl with tarpaulin band, excellent preservation
Size: Marked size 3 (stamped “60”), large and wearable even by modern standards
Markings: Faint ink stampings present; likely shows “1940” date upon inspection
Condition: Very solid overall with only minor rust bleed-through in spots
Collector’s Analysis
Rarity Factor: Early SSCH-39s with original canvas liners are exceptionally hard to find, as most surviving examples feature later war leather liners.
Historical Significance: This liner confirms early-war use (1939–40), placing the helmet at the very beginning of the Soviet-German conflict.
Display Potential: Perfect representative of the Red Army’s frontline equipment during the opening stages of the Great Patriotic War.
