Czech CO-1/R

🇨🇿 Czechoslovakia CO-1/R Civilian Gas Mask developed by Gumárny Zubří during the 1980s

In the 1980s, Czechoslovakia repurposed old respirators that had been stockpiled in bunkers over the preceding decades. The CO-1, a 1950s model that had been superseded by more modern masks, was retrieved from storage and modified to accept MOF filters. This allowed the Czechoslovak government to extend the lifespan of their existing mask inventory rather than producing new ones.

The CO-1/R kit includes a modernized CO-1 facepiece, an MOF-4 filter, and one of three carrier options: a metal tin, a cardboard tin, or a fabric bag.

The CO-1/R is a modernized version of the CO-1, featuring updated intake and exhaust valves, but is otherwise virtually indistinguishable from the original model.

Typically, CO-1/R masks feature a small pink ink stamp on the side of the facepiece to indicate modifications, but this particular example lacks any such markings.

The '/R' marking on gas masks is commonly speculated to stand for the Czech word 'rezervní', meaning 'reserve', as the CO-1/R model was likely never officially issued. This reserve mask was likely intended only for use in extreme emergencies, such as a nuclear attack, or if one's primary gas mask was damaged.

I am grateful to @doctorshark3 for providing this beautiful example of the CO-1/R mask, which appears to have become increasingly rare over time.