page_title: Danish M1923 helmet
section_title: History and usage
hierarchical_section_title: Danish M1923 helmet / History and usage
caption_attribution_description: English: The crew of a Danish anti-aircraft gun undergoing training. This photograph shows the shape of the Danish helmet extremely well.
context_page_description: The M/23 helmet was a combat helmet issued to Danish troops during the interwar period and saw service in the Second World War. It was the first helmet to be issued to the Danish Army and Navy. The helmet was produced locally by the company A/S Glud and Marstrands Fabriker. The helmet decals were made by prisoners at Vridsløselille Prison.
context_section_description: Following World War I the Danish government fell into line with other industrialized nations and began to equip their soldiers with steel helmets. This new trend emerged from the trenches of World War I where steel helmets greatly reduced casualties. The Danish Military accepted plans for the helmet in 1923 from Army Captain H. E. Johnsen and engineer G.A.P. Willadsen-Nielsen. The helmet saw combat during the German invasion of Denmark, Operation Weserübung, on April 9th 1940, and very limited use with the Danish volunteers in Finland during the Winter War. It is uncertain if the volunteers brought the helmets back to Denmark in 1940, or if they remained in Finland. 
  Following the end of the war in 1945, Denmark gradually phased out the M/23 in favour of the M/48 steel helmet, which was modelled after the American M1 helmet. This move coincided with many other NATO members who adopted the same design. The M/23 is unique in that it was never exported internationally making Denmark the only country ever to use it. This contrasts with other helmets of the era such as the French Adrian helmet and the British Brodie helmet, which were widely distributed around the world. Moreover, this helmet's distinctive appearance makes it easily recognizable from other interwar steel helmets.
caption: Danish soldiers wearing M/23 helmets at an AA gun
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