Original Cold War Unissued East German M56/76 VOPO Steel Combat Helmet with Helmet Net – Dated 1980 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Officially known as the German Model 1956 Steel Helmet, the design of this helmet is actually a WWII German creation initially laid down in 1942, although it is associated with the post-WWII German Democratic Republic (DDR).

This is an excellent example, with the original paint fully retained, with just a bit of light scratching in areas. It looks to be marked II / 4 / 80 over the left ear inside the shell, which means it was most likely produced in 1980, as these were in production up until the re-unification of Germany. The helmet is in the correct 3rd model configuration, introduced in 1976, which features a simplified liner with a plastic support frame and foam rubber padding.

Condition is excellent, and it shows no signs of use, just storage wear, so we believe it to be unissued. It comes with a lovely dark green synthetic fiber helmet net, held on with small metal clips.

A great example, ready to display!

More on the M56 Helmet

A search for a better helmet than the M35 began as soon as the results of the Polish campaign came in at the end of 1939. Eventually, extensive tests showed that the Experimental Helmet B/II, which became the M56, provided much better protection to the wearer, was more comfortable, and had a number of other significant advantages over the M35-M42 style. It also offered significant production advantages over the M35-M42 family. AH’s preference for the earlier design and the end of the war prevented its adoption. After the War, East Germany was required by the Soviets to dispense with the old helmet design for political reasons, so the B/II was revived and adopted as the M56.

It came to called the “Vopo helmet” largely by circumstance: Most photographs seen in the West of armed East German personnel were of the border guards, a division of the People’s Police (Volks Polizei). Because the Vopos were tasked with preventing the escape of East Germans to the West, and ended up shooting a good number of escapees, photojournalists took countless pictures of them during the cold war, and their most distinguishing mark was the B/II M56 helmet.

With the collapse of East Germay (DDR) in the early 1990s these very recognizable helmets were obsolete overnight. Most were destroyed or sold off to third world countries with the result that they are not often encountered today almost 20 years later.