The DK-52 was the first post-war respirator kit for children in the ČSSR. The overall design is similar to the wartime German Gasjäckchen.
Brief Overview[]
First appearing in 1952, the DK-52 kit appears to have not been issued in particularly large numbers - this is potentially explained by the scarcity of rubber during the post-war period and general economic decline in Czechoslovakia after the war. According to Petr Hemerle, the DK-52 kits were produced in the 'Makyta Púchov' factory in Púchov, Slovakia. DK-52 was eventually replaced by the DK-62 in 1962. Children up to the age of 4 were issued this kit, although babies up to the age of 1 were issued the Detsky Vak (DV-52) which was of similar construction as the DK-52 but was more elongated and lacked arm slots. The DV-52 was likely copied from the German Gasbettchen.
Kit Overview[]
The DK-52 consisted of several pieces: The jacket, connecting hose, CF-II-50 filter, instruction booklet, storage box and hand-operated bellows.
Damage - one can see the rubber coating has dried and cracked off, revealing the fabric underneath
Jacket[]
The jacket is made of grey rubberized fabric with a few Bakelite elements - a curved threaded hose attachment 'pipe' and the exhale valve housing. At the bottom of the jacket is a simple drawstring that is used to tighten the jacket by tying them at the back. The visor was made of glass. The visor design was updated at some point; there exists a secondary DK-52 where the visor is oval rather than rectangular. It is unknown which visor existed first.
DK-52 hose
Other Kit[]
The hose is of typical construction - ribbed rubber with GOST threading. To aid in mobility, the DK-52 hose is much longer (roughly 100cm) than other hoses. These hoses were also used on the DV-52. Since these kits were made early in Czechoslovakia's post-war respirator development, these hoses are constructed with metal GOST threads rather than the Bakelite seen on virtually all other later Czechoslovak hoses.
Close-up of DK-52 hose threads
DK-52's instruction booklet is made of printed paper, with accompanying illustrations (see photo gallery). Although supposedly an 'instruction' booklet, the opening paragraph is decidedly Communist propaganda.
Box tag for DV-52
Both the DK-52 and DV-52 were issued inside a cardboard box with all components wrapped inside wax paper. At the front of the box is a small paper tag which states both which model (DK or DV) and what appears to be a factory code.
The hand-operated bellows is again, made of rubber. This is perhaps the major difference between the DK-52 and the German Gasjackchen, the DK-52s bellows is held in the hand of a parent or carer and operated by feeding a hand through a brown strap and pushing/pulling on a Bakelite plate to extend and compress the bellows to create an airflow. Whereas the Gasjackchen airflow is controlled by a foot-operated pump. The instructions suggest the carer should pump in rhythm with their own breathing, with page 4 of the instructions saying 15-20 (pumps) per minute.
Filter[]
The CF-II-50 was the filter issued with the DK-52 kit, being made by Sigma. The DK-52 itself doesn't feature an intake valve, this valve was instead located in the filter itself.
Potential production end in 1960[]
Hemerle states production of the CF-II-50 filter ended in 1960, with the MOF-1 filter replacing it in 1961. However, the hand-bellows appear to not be compatible with the MOF filters, this is due to the slightly wider circumference of MOF filters. This would thus imply DK-52 production ended in 1960, due to the kit lacking a suitable filter. In any case, the DK-52 was certainly replaced by the DK-62, which was eventually replaced by the DK-88.
Gallery[]
