Original WW1 French M15 Adrian Helmet. Infantry Badge. Original paint & liner. Militaria

Black overpainted French M15 Adrian helmet. Adopted during the First World War as the first standardised steel helmet issued by any modern military. It's introduction had an immediate impact on the reduction of deaths owing to head wounds during the war.

There was no uniform paint used on French M15 helmets. While some were deliberately painted black by trench raiding units, it is more likely that this one has been overpainted using a particular pigment where the blue had simply faded first, leaving behind only a darker, duller surface. It is noteworthy that the original horizon blue paint may be seen underneath the darker layer, and underneath the liner. It is also noteworthy that the liner in this example retains red felt, which has been mythologised as being made from the red trousers French troops would wear at the beginning of the war.