The
M15 Adrian helmet (
French Casque Adrian) was a
combat helmet issued to the
French Army during
World War I. The first standard helmet of the French Army, it was designed when millions of
French troops were engaged in
trench warfare and head wounds became a significant proportion of battlefield casualties. Introduced in 1915, it served as a basic helmet of many armies well into 1930s. Initially issued to infantry, its modified versions were also issued to cavalry and tank crews. Its subsequent version, the M26, was adopted later and used during
World War II.
At the outbreak of World War I, the French army was equipped with the standard kepi cap, providing no protection against enemy fire, either direct and indirect. Early stages of trench warfare proved that even basic protection of the head could result in a significantly smaller mortality rate among the front-line soldiers. Consequently, the French staff ordered development of a metal helmet that could protect the soldier from the shrapnel of exploding artillery shells. Since soldiers in trenches were also vulnerable to shrapnel exploding above their heads, a deflector crest was added along the helmet's axis. Contrary to common misconception, the M15 helmet was not designed to protect the wearer from direct impact by rifle or machine gun bullets.
The helmet adopted by the army was made of mild steel[1] and weighed only 0.765&_160;kg (1lb.11oz.), which made it lighter than the contemporary British Brodie helmet and the German Stahlhelm, although it also delivered less protection against shrapnel and bullets. By the end of World War I, it had been issued to almost all infantry units fighting with the French army. It was also used by some of the American divisions fighting in France[2][3] and the Polish forces of Haller's Blue Army[4].
The helmet proved to be fairly efficient against shrapnel, cheap, and easy to be manufactured. As a consequence, more than three million Adrians were produced, and they were widely adopted by other countries including Belgium, Greece, Italy (including license-built versions), Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Siam, U.S.A., U.S.S.R., and Yugoslavia[3]. Each of these nations added its own insignia to the front of the helmet.
