Original German WWII Battle Damaged M40 Single Decal Luftwaffe Helmet with Relic Liner & Chinstrap – ET64 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great “battle damaged” service used all original example Model 1940 German WWII helmet with a single Luftwaffe Eagle decal. It is somewhat hard to see the decal, as the shell has a large dent and crack on the left side, and it also shows overall oxidation. From the looks of it the helmet definitely saw long service, and there is a good chance that it is a “battlefield pickup” example, which was exposed to the elements for a time before a USGI found it and brought it home.

This stamped sheet steel construction helmet was originally painted with smooth Luftwaffe Fliegerblau (flyer’s blue) paint, however the exterior now shows maybe 30% of the paint, with the rest now oxidized and patinated. The interior shows a similar patina, possibly having been filled with water for a time. Really a fantastic “salty” helmet that was “really there”!

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is heat lot number stamped 932 and the interior, left side, apron has the stamped manufacturer’s code and size, ET64 indicating that it was manufactured by Eisenhüttenwerk of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany. Size 64 is a nice medium size that can accommodate liners from 56cm to 57cm or US 7 to 7 1/8. Size 64 shells are harder to find and are therefore more valuable to a collector.

All three original liner retaining pins are intact and in good condition, matching the patina on the rest of the shell. The interior of the helmet still has its original leather liner with all 8 fingers mostly intact, with a replacement top tie string. Unfortunately the leather is in relic condition, shrunken with a very dark brown color and now somewhat stiff. We can see that some repairs were made at some point to help stabilize it, as it is definitely in delicate condition. Due to the dirt and oxidation on the outside of the galvanized steel liner band, we cannot make out the maker or size markings. There are remnants of the original chin strap, which later had some leather strips glued to them for display. The original portions are only a few inches near each chin strap loop.

Overall a lovely “salty” service used condition and battle damaged genuine M40 Single Decal Luftwaffe helmet, with a patina that is impossible to duplicate! 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.