Original Item: Only One Available. The Helmet Steel Airborne Troops (HSAT) is a paratrooper helmet of British origin worn by paratroopers and members of airlanding units. It was introduced in the Second World War by the British Army and was also used by other Commonwealth armies. It continued to be used in the post-war era until the early 1980's. This example is painted on the side with a 44 in a blue & red square, which we believe to be the helmet flash of the 44th Airborne Division (India), which participated heavily in Operation Dracula/Rangoon. 

This lovely example was produced by Briggs Motor Bodies Limited in 1944 for British Airborne Units. Briggs Motor Bodies was a British builder of automotive vehicle bodies and known producer of the WWI Doughboy helmets. The company was a subsidiary of the American Briggs Manufacturing Company. The company had sites in Croydon, Dagenham, Southampton and Romford which during WWII were supplemented by several shadow factories they operated for the Government making items such as Jerry Cans and Helmets (all pressed steel products). In 1953 they were taken over by Ford of Britain.

The liner is stamped BMB 19 (7⅜) 44, the maker stamp just above the year which is split in two by the size. The chinstrap and leather cup are present and in good condition. The helmet retains about 80% of its outside paint. The liner comes complete with all padding and suspension strap. The side of the helmet is painted with a helmet flash with a square painted ¼ red and ¾ blue, with 44 painted in white.

This helmet is in great service used condition, and would make an excellent addition to any collection. There are several numbers and a name written on the liner in different spots, making this a great research project for someone.

The 44th Indian Airborne Division was an airborne forces division of the Indian Army during World War II, created in 1944. It provided a parachute battalion for one minor airborne operation, but the war ended before the complete formation could take part. (However, most of its subordinate formations and units had already seen action before the division had been formed).

The division was still in the midst of formation, reorganization and training when it was called upon to provide a parachute force to take part in Operation Dracula. This was an amphibious operation intended to capture Rangoon, the capital and principal port of Burma, which was reinstated at short notice after being earlier canceled.

A composite Gurkha parachute battalion was formed from the two Gurkha battalions of the Indian Parachute Regiment, and landed behind Japanese coastal defenses at the mouth of the Rangoon river on 1 May 1945. During the Battle of Elephant Point, they cleared Japanese rearguards from the defenses, but the main Japanese garrison had evacuated Rangoon several days previously. The subsequent landings from the sea were unopposed.

Helmet Steel Airborne Troop
The Helmet Steel Airborne Troops (HSAT) is a paratrooper helmet of British origin worn by paratroopers and members of airlanding units. It was introduced in the Second World War by the British Army and was also used by other Commonwealth armies. It continued to be used in the post-war era until the early 1980's. It was in the process of being replaced, with parachute battalions being issued as priority, when the Falklands War occurred. As with the similarly shaped RAC helmet and despatch rider motorcycle helmet, it was initially manufactured by Briggs Motor Bodies at Dagenham.

All four variants were used during Second World War with the last variant being revised in the mid 1950's.

P Type Helmet
The first prototype variant was used during the Bruneval Raid, these came with a rubber padding found on the rear. The helmets were short lived and replaced by the HSAT.

The first steel helmet was produced at the BMB factory in 1941. These early "P Type" helmets only numbered between 500 and 1,000 units. The P Type featured a non-magnetic manganese steel shell with a rubberized rim and a lining with interior padding that was similar to the German M36/40 design.

Some soldiers issued with these helmets continued to use them throughout the war. An example worn during the Battle of Arnhem can be found on display in Hartenstein Museum, the Netherlands.

HSAT
The next step in the evolution of the British helmet came in 1942. This helmet featured a similar shell design, but with a thick vulcanized fiber band rim that clearly distinguishes it from the German model, along with a four-point chinstrap system and a band of sorbo rubber for padding. These early helmets used leather chinstraps and are considered quite rare.

HSAT Mk I
Third pattern came with the same leather chinstraps and a steel rim instead of the fiber rim (issue October 1942).

HSAT Mk II
Fourth pattern, came with the three-point webbing chinstrap. This variant was also used after the Second World War, leaving service around the time of the Falklands War. Throughout the 1980's, some of the earlier issue chinstraps were later reused on the more current glass reinforced plastic "Helmet, Parachutist, Lightweight" / "Helmet Parachute".

The fittings of the wartime issue varied from the 1950's postwar issue. The wartime chinstrap had brass ends and rivets: these were manufactured in blackened steel in the 1950's (in line with production of the 1937 Pattern web equipment at that time). The temporal bales of the postwar helmet were of a slightly different design.