Original German WWII M42 Single Decal Army Heer Helmet with Size 55 Liner and Chinstrap – ET62 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice all original service worn example of a German Model 42 Steel helmet, as issued to the Wehrmacht Heer (army). This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains 75% of its original paint, with scratches and chips consistent with use in service. The left side of the helmet features a very nice  Heer eagle decal. The decal is retained 90%, with some areas chipped out with the paint, however the silver color is still very vibrant. This is a very nice example of the M42 helmet, with great looking decal.

Two of the original liner split pins remain, though the right front one has lost the cover. The rear pin was apparently lost, and replaced with twisted wire, like the wire used to hold on camouflage material in the field. The interior of the helmet still has the original M31 leather liner with all eight of its fingers, in service used condition. There is wear, and the leather has shrunk somewhat, and pulled away from the inner liner band on the front right side. The size 55 stamp in a circle can still be easily seen. Also included is an original complete chin strap, which has wear to the leather as shown. It is mostly solid, but the finish is cracking.

Above the left ear interior of the apron has a stamped manufacturer’s code and size ET62 indicating it was manufactured by Eisenhuttenwerk AG, in Thale, Harz. Size 62 is a smaller size shell, which can accommodate size 54-56 liners. It is also marked with lot number 2488 on the underside of the rear skirt.

Overall an very nice M42 Single Decal Heer Army helmet, complete with a liner and chin strap! M42 helmets of this quality are always the hardest to find on the market. This is an item that will only continue to appreciate in value over time.

The first “modern” steel helmets were introduced by the French army in early 1915 and were shortly followed by the British army later that year. With plans on the drawing board, experimental helmets in the field, (“Gaede” helmet), and some captured French and British helmets the German army began tests for their own steel helmet at the Kummersdorf Proving Grounds in November, and in the field in December 1915. An acceptable pattern was developed and approved and production began at Eisen-und Hüttenwerke, AG Thale/Harz, (Iron and Foundry Works), in the spring of 1916.

These first modern M16 helmets evolved into the M18 helmets by the end of WWI. The M16 and M18 helmets remained in usage through-out the Weimar Reichswehr, (National Defence Force, Circa 1919-1933), era and on into the early years of the Third Reich until the development of the smaller, lighter M35 style helmet in June 1935.

In 1934 tests began on an improved Stahlhelm, whose design was a development of World War I models. The Eisenhüttenwerke company of Thale carried out prototype design and testing, with Dr. Friedrich Schwerd once again taking a hand.

The new helmet was pressed from sheets of molybdenum steel in several stages. The size of the flared visor and skirt was reduced, and the large projecting lugs for the obsolete armor shield were eliminated. The ventilator holes were retained, but were set in smaller hollow rivets mounted to the helmet’s shell. The edges of the shell were rolled over, creating a smooth edge along the helmet. Finally, a completely new leather suspension, or liner, was incorporated that greatly improved the helmet’s safety, adjustability, and comfort for each wearer. These improvements made the new M1935 helmet lighter, more compact, and more comfortable to wear than the previous designs.

The Army’s Supreme Command officially accepted the new helmet on June 25, 1935 and it was intended to replace all other helmets in service.

The M1935 design was slightly modified in 1940 to simplify its construction, the manufacturing process now incorporating more automated stamping methods. The principal change was to stamp the ventilator hole mounts directly onto the shell, rather than utilizing separate fittings. In other respects, the M1940 helmet was identical to the M1935. The Germans still referred to the M1940 as the M1935, while the M1940 designation were given by collectors.

The last wartime upgrade to the standard helmet took place on 6 July 1942 at the request of the Army High Command. The rolled edge found on M1935 and M1940 helmets was discontinued as a measure of economy. On 1 August 1942 the first M1942 helmets were placed into production, and this was the model produced until late in the war, when most factories were captured or stood idle due to material shortages.