M 17 Austrian Camo Helmet

[Daniel Murphy]

I mentioned this helmet on the other Austrian helmet thread and as requested, decided to get it out and post it. This is the M17 variation with the metal liner band and has the "skunk stripe" camo. Once you see the photos, the reason for the name is obvious. Austrian Camos are rare, but when seen, this is sometimes what they look like. Now for the helmet, here is the front view.

Dan Murphy

Edited April 30, 2006 by Daniel Murphy

[Daniel Murphy]

Side view. All of the exterior paint shows coarse brush strokes.

[Daniel Murphy]

Other side.

[Daniel Murphy]

Rear.

[Daniel Murphy]

Liner. All of the pads are there, but missing a couple tongues and the cushions.

[Daniel Murphy]

Here is a close up of one of the pads showing an issue stamp dated 1917. The marking on the right is upside down and is "R 18". One of the other pads has initials on it and this may be the mans regiment. Also notice the patterned cloth used to make the pouch for the cushions. It is the same on all three.

Edited April 28, 2006 by Daniel Murphy

[Daniel Murphy]

Here is an ink stamp on the inside brim. The maker is "CAS" and the size is 66. I did not think to take a photo of the mm. If anyone has any questions or would like to see pics of some feature let me know. Sorry about the pictures, taken inside at night, they just did not turn out as good as I wanted.

Edited April 28, 2006 by Daniel Murphy

[Jason]

very very nice Dan!

cheers

Jason

[Les]

Dan,

Nice Austrian helmet with the camo.... done....I -think- by a German, not an Austrian. The black finger-width band along the edge of the feld-grau paint is one feature usually seen on German camo patterns and in accordance with German regulations on camo patterns. Bear in mind, the Austrians were under no obligation at all to follow German paint/camo patterns....and didn't.

Austrian colors and patterns are usually different from the types found on German camo helmets. The use of fieldgray and a black border suggests a German applied the paint, not an Austrian. I can't proove that is exactly what happened, but it comes from a sense of having handled, owned, and looking at photos over the years. There's not much in print on Austrian (and Hungarian) camo patterns, so this is primarily a "gut thing" from having handled and owned several over the years, and making comparisons to the German versions I've encountered.

Rather than go into a long sermon on the differences between Austrians and Germans, the Austrians tended to use whatever they could get their hands on, and used it. That resulted in a wide-range of non-standard items, and variation from accepted "patterns."

By the way, I like the blue/white cotton "pockets" on the helmet, and overall condition. It's a good representative piece.

Les

[Daniel Murphy]

I have several photos of Austrian Camos and some are remarkably like the German style incluing the black dividing stripes. Since the Germans and Austrians served along side each other in France and Italy, it is not unusual that there would be some copying of the German style by the Austrians. I believe that if German done, it would have been done using more colors and more, smaller patches of color. I have also seen Austrian brown on German helmets, so they used whatever was available or could be found.

Dan Murphy

[Chris Boonzaier]

I wonder why they came up with the black bands between the colours? For neatness ?

[Thomas W]

I wonder why they came up with the black bands between the colours? For neatness ?

For disruption. In other words, to break up the round shape of the helmet, which gives it away more easily to observers. The camouflage was intended to make the helmet appear to be made up of jagged pieces, which would hopefully pass for leaves, chunks of earth, or battlefield debris when seen by the enemy.

[Chris Boonzaier]

For disruption. In other words, to break up the round shape of the helmet, which gives it away more easily to observers. The camouflage was intended to make the helmet appear to be made up of jagged pieces, which would hopefully pass for leaves, chunks of earth, or battlefield debris when seen by the enemy.

Hi,

I understand the concept of camouflage,

What I meant was... why did they have the black stripes? they could have had JUST the color.

Did someone back them think black stripes between colors IMPROVED the cammo, or did it just make it look neater (each color in a "frame")?

Modern studies show black should not be used in camo pattern as the eye is automatically drawn to black.

Best

Chris

[Thomas W]

The black lines were deliberately included in order to break up the regular shape of the helmet in a way that color alone could not. The point wasn't to conceal but to disrupt. It was an attempt to trick the eye into seeing shapes that could not possibly represent a helmet.

[Chris Boonzaier]

The black lines were deliberately included in order to break up the regular shape of the helmet in a way that color alone could not. The point wasn't to conceal but to disrupt. It was an attempt to trick the eye into seeing shapes that could not possibly represent a helmet.

Hi,

sure, but I still maintain that disruption is the general purpose of camo with or without lines. Nowdays we would do it differently. I assume that this was still early days and they assumed the lines would serve the purpose you mention. Modern theory is black is bad as it draws the eye (humans genetically programed to look where it is dark) so black is found less and less in modern cammo.

Still, i agree that this was the pioneering days of the art and they were trying to find the right way of doing things... its easy for me to sit here almost 100 years later and say "ha ha... what were they thinking!"

Best

Chris

Best

Chris

[Thomas W]

sure, but I still maintain that disruption is the general purpose of camo with or without lines.

Right. The black lines were a different method of disruption than colors without black lines. Black lines were one approach; no black lines were a different approach.