Gas Mask and Respirator Wiki
Don't have an account?
Register
Advertisement
Register
Gas Mask and Respirator Wiki
Gas Mask and Respirator Wiki
749
pages
in: DIN 3182, Article stubs, Lithuania,
and 5 more

A.D. 35

Edit
Warning-4-128 We need more information
This article is a stub.
You can help Gas Mask and Respirator Wiki by expanding it and adding more information to it.



The A.D. 35 was a Lithuanian produced Interwar era gas mask. Its main goal was to displace outdated GM17 masks in the Lithuanian military.

Manufacture of the A.D. 35 began in 1935 in the city of Kaunas and was later moved to the newly constructed Linkaičiai artillery workshop complex in 1937. Production ended in June of 1939, a desired amount of 100 thousand units was to be produced. After the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, the A.D. 35 remained in partial use by the 29th Lithuanian Territorial Rifle Corps up until the late 1940's.

Kit overview[]

The A.D. 35 kit includes:

A.D. 35 facepiece;

filter;

an 8 ribbed tin;

antifog paste or lenses.

Facepiece[]

The Lithuanian A.D. 35 is a copy of the German GM17 with minor improvements. The facepiece is sewn from leather and glued together using airtight glue, it features a 7-point elasticated spring head harness, triplex eyepieces held to the mask with brass lens rings and a 40mm DIN filter port. This mask was quite outdated compared to other gas masks at the time as the A.D. 35 had neither exhalation nor inhalation valves.

Sizing[]

The size marking can be found carved into the filter port below the inlet thread (see gallery), the A.D. 35 comes in 4 sizes:

Sizinglt

1 - large

2 - medium

3 - small

4 - very small

Carrying tin[]

The A.D. 35 is stored in a unique 8 ribbed tin. There are two variants of this tin;

1st variant - this tin is made in a standard way, it is bent out of sheet metal and bolted together. It also features a latch securing the lid to the tin. A holder for antifog lenses or paste is found at the bottom of this tin's lid.

2nd variant - instead of being bent out of sheet metal, these tins were made by deep drawing. The tin's body is a single piece with no seams and is chunkier compared to the 1st variant. 2nd variant tins don't feature a latch - the lid is to securely press against the lip of the tin without the assistance of a latch. The 2nd variant tin doesn't feature a holder for the antifog container.

(See pictures in gallery)

Please note that "1st and 2nd variants" are made up designations for the sole purpose of easier distinction between the two models. Official designations are not known.

Filter[]

Secmp filtras

Lithuanian diagram of the S.E.C.M.P. filter

The A.D. 35 filter is a locally produced copy of the French S.E.C.M.P. filter. It features a 40mm DIN thread. The filter is made up of 2 main layers:

a main chemical absorbent layer - activated carbon;

a particulate layer - compressed wool, treated to protect against arsenic.

The filter was only allowed to be used during an emergency and was required to stay plugged in the carrier at all times. During gas drills, the masks would be equipped with training filters.


Detailed production[]

Before being fully assembled in Linkaičiai, separate parts making up the A.D.35 were manufactured in 4 different locations of the country.

Faceblank[]

Before being transported to Linkaičiai for assembly, leather faceblanks of the A.D.35 were first cutout and sewn together in the military industrial town of Šančiai, located near Kaunas.

Lenses[]

The triplex glass lenses were of rather high quality and had to be produced precisely and carefully. Where these lenses were produced isn't known for sure, but it was most likely in the Kaunas military laboratory belonging to KAM (National Defense Ministry).

Inlet[]

The inlet of the A.D.35 (also called the "front part of the mask" in documents) was die cast from a zinc alloy using interwar purchased Czechoslovak "Polack" casting equipment. After cooling, the inlets would be cleaned up by hand, tested to be airtight and painted in green or khaki colors. Any defective inlets were melted back down and recycled. These inlets were manufactured in the Linkaičiai military workshop complex.

Filter[]

The filter shells were also produced directly in Linkaičiai - pressed from aluminium using German "Schuler" presses. These shells were packed with filtering elements made up of activated carbon and distilled coniferous tree resin. Filtering elements would be supplied to the Linkaičiai military workshop complex by a resin distillation and carbon manufacturing company in the "Aukštaitija" ethnographic region of Lithuania. This company manufactured it's product using equipment purchased from the French "Charbon actif" company.

Rubber[]

The A.D.35's inlet and filter cap were fitted with o-rings made of natural rubber to ensure adequate sealing and filter preservation. The filter plug was made of the same rubber as well. These rubber bits were manufactured by Lithuanian rubber company "Inkaras" in Kaunas.

History[]

Dumpad35

Faceblank with intact lens rings retrieved from the previously mentioned dump.

During the first and second Soviet occupation of Lithuania in WW2, the A.D.35 remained in partial use by the 29th Territorial Rifle Corps up until the late 1940's. Since the A.D.35 was inferior to Soviet designs of the time, it was quickly phased out. What happened to these masks isn't too known, however, they were most likely taken in, stripped of any useful material and dumped underground. A single dump like this has been found, containing leather faceblanks and brass lens rings, belonging to the A.D.35.



Gallery[]

Sources[]

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
Advertisement

Fan Feed

More Gas Mask and Respirator Wiki