Original German WWII M40 Service Worn Single Decal Luftwaffe Helmet with 57cm Liner – ET64 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice all original example Model 1940 German WWII helmet with a single Luftwaffe Eagle decal. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains about 50-60% of the original Luftwaffe Blue-Gray paint, and shows quite a bit of wear throughout. This was definitely a helmet that saw significant use during the war, with a great patina of age. The decal is unfortunately a bit worse off, retained at probably about 30%, though it is still undeniably a Luftwaffe decal. If you were looking for a nice “battle worn” helmet for your collection, this is it!

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is heat lot number stamped 5153 and the interior, left side, apron has the stamped manufacturer’s code and size, ET64 indicating that it was manufactured by Eisenhuttenwerk AG 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 with most of the original paint worn away. The interior of the helmet still has an original M31 leather liner with all eight fingers still present, showing overall wear from service. The leather is somewhat dry, with some tearing around the edge. The top tie strap is still intact, but delicate. The outer side of the galvanized steel liner band over the left ear is marked 64 n.A / 57, indicating that this is a size 57 liner for a size 64 shell.  It is also maker marked and dated faintly on the other side:

Metall-Lederverarbeitung W.Z.
1941
[Bln.- Ch’burg 5]

This indicates production by the metal and leather working company Werner Zahn, based in Berlin – Charlottenburg, in the year 1941, which fits right into the mid war period. The chin strap is still present, however it is quite stretched out, having been over the front brim of the helmet for quite some time. It looks to be an early war pattern with aluminum fittings, but for some reason one end was tied around the bale on the right side, while the aluminum stud was put into one of the buckle holes.

Overall a nice condition genuine Battle Worn M40 Single Decal Luftwaffe helmet! 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.