Russian M-16 "Izhora" Steel Helmets
During the First World War (1914-1918), the Imperial Russian Army adopted the French Model 1915 Adrian helmet. The Adrians, however, were not looked upon favorably by the Russian military. They created their own design based on the general shape of the Adrian but made of a single piece of thicker (1.28mm), armor steel. Though it officially was named the M-16, or Model 1916, this helmet came to be known as the “Izhora” in reference to the plant where it was produced. Unlike the French Adrians, the Izhora helmets were not designed to have front badges, as the designers felt the attachment holes made the steel shell too weak. The M-16 was fitted with a specially designed “stocking-type,” adjustable, cloth liner. This liner, like the Adrian, featured a corrugated metal bump guard between it and the helmet’s shell. Soon after production began, the Russian high command issued a decision to move helmet manufacturing to Russian-controlled Finland. Helmets produced after this move came to be known as the Finnish M-17, or Model 1917.
