Damaged Soviet Army Ssh40 combat helmet recovered postwar in Latvia

Corroded Soviet Army Ssh40 combat helmet recovered in a Latvian swamp many years after World War II. Production of the Ssh40 model helmet began in 1940 and continued until 1960. It was issued to Soviet soldiers on all fronts during World War II. The Ssh40 was designed to replace the Ssh39, which had a liner that made it difficult for the wearer to place the helmet over a winter hat or garrison cap. The Ssh40 was designed to solve this problem by attaching the liner to the exterior shell near the rim, which allowed the helmet to slide over another hat. The Soviet Union occupied the independent state of Latvia in June 1940. It was later occupied by Nazi Germany in July 1941. In 1944, the Soviet army reentered Latvia, which became a Soviet republic.