Original German WWII Heer Army M35 Single Decal Helmet with 54cm Liner dated 1938 – EF62 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice service worn all original example of a German WWII M35 helmet shell, issued to the Heer (Army). This stamped sheet steel construction helmet still retains about 75% of the original lightly textured Panzergrau (armor gray) paint, showing wear and areas of paint loss, which have now oxidized. The left side of the helmet features a Heer eagle decal, which is retained about 80%, still bright and reflective, but also with overall wear and a bit of chipping. We do not see any evidence of there having been another decal on the right side that was removed. This is a very nice example of a service worn helmet shell with lots of patina!

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is batch number stamped 3972, and the interior, left side, apron has a stamped manufacturer’s code and size, E.F.62. This indicates it was manufactured by manufactured by Emaillierwerke AG, of Fulda, Germany in size 62. This is a nice smaller size that can accommodate liners from 54cm to 55cm or US 6 3/4 to 6 7/8.

All three liner split pins are still intact, however they are nickel silver finished, so most of the original paint has worn away. The helmet still has its correct M31 liner with all of the 8 fingers present and supple, though the top tie string is missing. There is staining and wear from use, but considering the age of the liner, it is in very good condition. The liner band is aluminum, with square aluminum chin strap loops attached to reinforced sides. This is the last pattern before the move to galvanized steel bands. The left exterior of the liner band is marked 62 n. A. / 54, indicating that it is a size 54 liner for a size 62 shell. There is also a faint size 54 stamp on the leather itself. The right side has the full maker information clearly stamped:

Metall-Lederverarbeitung W.Z.
1938
Bln.- Ch’burg 5

This indicates production by the metal and leather working company Werner Zahn, based in Berlin – Charlottenburg, in the year 1938, which fits right into the early war period. The longer half of the chin strap is still present, but in delicate condition, already missing a good portion of the end.

Overall a very nice 100% genuine M35 Single Decal Heer Army helmet, completely correct! 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.

More than 1 million M1935 helmets were manufactured in the first two years after its introduction, and millions more were produced until 1940 when the basic design and production methods were changed. This mainly involved adding the vent hole to the stamping process, as opposed to adding the rivet later.