Modèle 1951 helmet

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Modèle 1951 helmet
Modèle 1951 helmet of the French Army. This particular helmet is on display as an ex-voto at Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseille. The back of the helmet is slightly bent, suggesting that it was hit by fragmentation.
Type	Combat helmet
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1952–1990 (France)
Used by	See Users
Wars	First Indochina War Korean War Vietnam War Laotian Civil War Cambodian Civil War Algerian War Cameroon War Bizerte crisis Suez Crisis 1958 Lebanon crisis Portuguese Colonial War Angolan Civil War Rhodesian Bush War South African Border War Chadian Civil War (1965–1979) Chadian–Libyan War Toyota War Tuareg rebellion (1990–1995) Sand War Ifni War Western Sahara War Western Sahara conflict Mauritania–Senegal Border War Djiboutian Civil War 1967 Six-Day War 1967-1970 War of Attrition Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon 1973 Yom Kippur War Lebanese Civil War 1978 South Lebanon conflict 1982 Lebanon War South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000) 2006 Lebanon War Republic of the Congo Civil War (1993–1994) Republic of the Congo Civil War (1997–1999) First Ivorian Civil War Second Ivorian Civil War Mali War Islamist insurgency in the Sahel Central African Bush War Central African Republic Civil War
Production history
Designer	French Army Quartermaster Corps
Designed	1951
Manufacturer	French Army Quartermaster Corps HR A.G. Paris E.P.C. Paris SAUF Paris Richard Haas & Cie J.Dunois & Fils Vincennes Cie Labbé Fr. St-Florent du Cher Établissements Luchaire Franck Aubervilliers Carpentier Cusset Ducellier Issoire Japy Voujaucourt L.U. Messei M.AM.OU Marseille Menesa Neunkirchen Thilbault Montreuil
Produced	1951–1976

The Modèle 1951 helmet was a military helmet used by the French military (Army, Navy, Air Force and Gendarmerie), iconic of the Algerian War. It replaced a variety of helmets used during the Second World War, including the Adrian helmet, Modèle 1945 helmet and American-supplied M1 Helmet.

The Modèle 1951 was designed to have the same general shape as the US M1 Helmet, in an effort towards standardisation within NATO. The two differ in that the M1 has a longer visor and a more pronounced downwards slope on the sides. The M1 also has a nape strap while the Modèle 1951 does not.

The Modèle 1951 comprised a heavy external cover, made of 1.2 mm of an amagnetic alloy of manganese steel, and a lighter inner helmet.

The Modèle 1951 was produced until 1976, before being superseded by the Modèle 1978 helmet. It nonetheless remained in service well into the 1980s.

• Algeria
• Benin
• Burkina Faso – Burkina Faso Armed Forces
• Cambodia – Khmer National Armed Forces^[1]
• Cameroon – Cameroon Armed Forces
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Comoros
• Djibouti
• France – French Armed Forces, Gendarmerie Nationale
• Gabon
• Guinea
• Kingdom of Laos – Royal Lao Armed Forces^[2]
• India – Indian Armed Forces, Indian Police Service
• Israel – Israel Defense Forces^[3]
• Ivory Coast – Armed Forces of the Republic of Ivory Coast, National Gendarmerie
• Kenya – Kenya Defence Forces, Kenya Police
• Lebanon – Lebanese Armed Forces, Internal Security Forces
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Morocco – Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie
• Niger
• Pakistan – Pakistan Armed Forces and paramilitaries
• Portugal – Portuguese Army, Portuguese Republican National Guard
• Republic of the Congo
• Rhodesia – Rhodesian Army, British South Africa Police^[4]
• Senegal – Armed Forces of Senegal, National Gendarmerie
• South Vietnam – Vietnamese National Army, Republic of Vietnam Military Forces
• South Africa – South African Defence Force, South African Police, South West Africa Territorial Force, South West African Police
• Tunisia – Tunisian Armed Forces, Tunisian National Guard
• Togo

• Al-Mourabitoun – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks.
• Al-Tanzim – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks or provided by Israel.
• Amal Movement – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks.
• Army of Free Lebanon – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks.
• Guardians of the Cedars (GoC) – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks or provided by Israel.
• Hezbollah – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks.
• Kataeb Regulatory Forces – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks or provided by Israel.
• Lebanese Arab Army – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks.
• Lebanese Forces – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks or provided by Israel.
• Lebanese Youth Movement (MKG) – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks.
• People's Liberation Army (Lebanon) – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks.
• South Lebanon Army – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks or provided by Israel.
• Tigers Militia – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks or provided by Israel.
• Tyous Team of Commandos (TTC) – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks or provided by Israel.
• UNITA/FALA – Seized from Portuguese Army stocks or provided by South Africa.
• Palestine Liberation Organization – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks.
• Polisario Front/Sahrawi People's Liberation Army – Captured from the Royal Moroccan Army or provided by Algeria.
• Zgharta Liberation Army – Seized from Lebanese Armed Forces stocks.

• Modèle 1978 helmet
• SPECTRA helmet

• Kenneth Conboy and Simon McCouaig, South-East Asian Special Forces, Elite series 33, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1991. ISBN 1-85532-106-8
• Kenneth Conboy, FANK: A History of the Cambodian Armed Forces, 1970–1975, Equinox Publishing (Asia) Pte Ltd, Djakarta 2011. ISBN 9789793780863
• Peter Abbott, Philip Botham and Mike Chappell, Modern African Wars (1): Rhodesia 1965–80, Men-at-arms series 183, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1986. ISBN 9780850457285

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Modèle 1951 helmet.

• Le modèle militaire 1951
• le casque français modèle 1951