SSh-36
combat helmet of the Red Army of the USSR
The SSh-36 (Russian: СШ-36, from стальной шлем, stal'noy shlem, lit. 'steel helmet') was a steel combat helmet developed and used by the Red Army. It was designed by Aleksandr A. Shvartz with production started in 1936. Its large front rim and wide flares over the ears provided good protection for the wearer.
History
The development of a new standard steel helmet began in the 1930s. After tests and trials, this helmet was officially adopted by the Red Army in December 1935 under the name "Red Army Helmet Model 1935" ("красноармейский шлем образца 1935 года"). It was because of the introduction of the steel helmet that changes were made to the uniform of military personnel - and the field service cap was introduced as standard headgear. After the helmets began to be issued to the troops in 1936, they began to be known by their short abbreviated name (SSh-36).
The SSh-36 was worn by Soviet soldiers in several campaigns of the late 1930s and 1940s, including the Khalkin Gol campaign against the Japanese in 1939 (giving it the nickname "Khalkingolka"), the Finnish Winter War of 1939–1940, the 1939 invasion of Poland, the 1940 invasions of the Baltic states and Bessarabia, and in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.
It was also distributed to the Republican soldiers of the Spanish Civil War in conjunction with Soviet support of the Spanish government.
However, during its use, a significant number of design flaws were revealed.
The public source identifies “SSh-36” as combat helmet of the Red Army of the USSR. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around SSh-36, combat and helmet.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “SSh-36”, the useful work is to connect “combat helmet of the Red Army of the USSR” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q105085715. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1936, 1935, 1939 and 1940.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “SSh-36”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow SSh-36 primary sources, SSh-36 archive and SSh-36 research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “SSh-36”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “SSh-36” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.