Original German WWII M40 Single Decal Luftwaffe Helmet with 1940 Dated Size 58 Liner- ET68 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 and size 58cm liner, which was modified during the war. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet still retains most of the original lightly textured Luftwaffe Fliegerblau (flyer’s blue) paint, which utilized aluminum oxide as a texturing agent. There is scuffing to the paint and some worked in dirt, particularly on the top of the helmet, but there is no major damage out of line with wear from service. The interior paint is very well retained, with just a bit of oxidation in areas. The original Luftwaffe eagle decal is still retained at about 90%, showing a lovely aged toned color, with overall light wear due to the textured surface. This is really a great looking decal, and we rarely see them this good!

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is batch number stamped, 4847 and the interior, left side, apron has a stamped manufacturer’s code and size, ET68 indicating that indicating it was manufactured by Eisenhüttenwerk AG, Thale Harz, Germany in size 68. Size 68 is a rare extra large size that can accommodate liners from 60cm to 61cm or US 7 1/2 to 7 5/8. Size 68 shells are the hardest to find and are therefore the most valuable to a collector.

All three liner split pins are still intact, and retain almost all of their original paint. The helmet still has its correct M31 liner with all of the 8 fingers present and supple, with original top tie still in place. It shows very little use, and looks to have been refit into the liner band later in the war. 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 68 n. A. / 60, indicating that it is a size 60 liner for a size 68 shell. There is also a faint 58 in a circle on the leather itself, which means that the inner band and leather itself were definitely fit into the helmet after the liner was installed long ago. Most likely a smaller helmet was desired, and this was a field level modification. The right side has the full maker information clearly stamped:

Metall-Lederverarbeitung W.Z.
1940
Bln.- Ch’burg 5

This indicates production by the metal and leather working company Werner Zahn, based in Berlin – Charlottenburg, in the year 1940, which fits right into the immediate pre-war period. The original chin strap is unfortunately completely missing.

Overall an very good condition genuine complete 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.