Original German WWII M42 Single Pocher Decal Army Heer Helmet with 57cm Liner & Chinstrap – stamped NS64 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition all original example of a late war German Model 42 Steel helmet, which has a great lightly worn look. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains over more than 90% of its original lightly textured feldgrau paint, with wear through on the crown of the helmet, which shows the steel shell in places.

The left side of the helmet shows a single Heer Army Silver Eagle decal, which looks to be a decal made by “Pocher”, as used by the ET and NS makers during WWII, on original and reissued helmets. This does not look to be a factory applied decal, and may have been applied at arsenal, so the application was not as good, which explains why about 50% has flaked away from the textured paint. There are some scratches as well, which caused further removal.

The rear interior of the apron has a faintly stamped manufacturer’s code and size: NS64, indicating it was manufactured by Vereinigte Deutsche Nikelwerke, of Schwerte, Germany. It is also marked with lot number 6006 under the maker marking. Size 64 shells are a nice medium size, and can accommodate size 56 and 57 liners. Size 64 shells are harder to find and are therefore more valuable to a collector. The top of the inside has a very nice ink “dome stamp”, though it is somewhat unclear, and cannot be read accurately.

All three original liner retaining pins are intact and have almost all of the original paint on the ends, with some light wear from use. The interior of the helmet still has an original very good condition M31 leather liner with all 8 fingers fully intact, as well as the top securing string. The leather is is still quite soft, with a lovely lightly worn look, though the reinforcements on the back of the fingers have detached from some. There is just a bit of light staining and wear in the front forehead area from sweat and oils. The late war issue galvanized steel liner band is marked on the left outer side with 64 n.A. / 57, indicating that the liner is a size 57, intended for a 64 shell. The leather is lightly stamped 57 as well. It is also maker marked and dated faintly on the other side:

Metall-Lederverarbeitung W.Z.
1943
Bln.- Ch’burg 5

This indicates production by the metal and leather working company Werner Zahn, based in Berlin – Charlottenburg, in the year 1943, which fits right into the late war period.

The attached chin strap is in good condition, and looks to have been a left over from earlier in the war. It has an aluminum buckle, and is stamped faintly bmd / 41 on the end, for 1941 production by Max G. Müller, Fabrik für Lederwaren u. Heeresbedarf (Factory for leather goods and army supplies) in Nürnberg. The pebbled leather is definitely deteriorated, and there is a repair on the longer strap as well.

Overall a very nice service used condition late-war M42 Single “Pocher” Decal Heer Army helmet, with everything completely correct! 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.