[citation needed] The liner consisted of three (later four during post-war) cloth or oilcloth pads connected with a cotton drawstring for size adjustment.

[citation needed] According to tests performed in 1942, Soviet helmets including the SSh-36 and SSh-40 provided better protection than the German Stahlhelm, but they were also heavier, making them uncomfortable to wear for extended periods of time.

[3] Chronic shortages of metals coupled with a large amount of equipment lost in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa left many Red Army units without steel helmets, but even when they were issued several soldiers preferred using soft-fur lined caps.

[3][4] The SSh-40 was supplemented by the SSh-60 which entered service in the 1960s and finally replaced by the SSh-68,[citation needed] though many remained in use as late as 1989, during the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.

[5] While some special units of the KPA were issued with steel helmets, the vast majority of troops wore simple caps.