From 1919 onwards, Afghanistan, newly independent from the British, began to be supplied with M16, M17 and M18 helmets, mostly from Turkish, Czech, German and Austro-Hungarian stocks. They were used by the Afghan army all the way up until the Soviet invasion and then later by various armed groups including the Mujahidin and the Taliban.
This is an original German WW1 helmet which has had a new liner and chinstrap fitted by the Afghan forces as well as a new layer of paint. The original German green is visible beneath the Afghan layers.
