Original German WWII M42 Army Heer Single Decal Camouflage Helmet with Aged Replica Liner & Chinstrap – stamped ckl64 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice service used all original example of a late war German Model 42 Steel helmet, with a fantastic period applied camouflage paint job. It probably suffered damage to the liner during service and possibly afterwards, so at some point after the war a high quality replica liner and chinstrap was installed, using what looks to be the original split pins. The liner was aged to make it fit in better with the helmet, and the chinstrap does look like it could be original.

This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains about 75% of its original lightly textured camouflage paint, with wear and oxidation from service. There are some small dents and the usual scuffs and scrapes. The interior paint is still the correct panzergrau used on these helmets, and does show some light oxidation on the interior. There is also a “dome stamp” on the interior, but we cannot tell if this original or replicated. The left side of the helmet features a Heer eagle decal, which is retained about 50%, with overall wear down through the top enamel layer and now showing a lot of the silver layer. The helmet overall has the fantastic patina that only real wear in the field can give.

The rear interior of the apron has a stamped manufacturer’s code and size: ckl64 over heat lot 1394, indicating it was manufactured by Eisenhüttenwerk AG of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany. Towards the end of the war, the ET marking was discontinued in favor of three letter code ckl, and moved the marking under the rear skirt. 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.

The replica liner is in very good condition, and does have replicated markings on the steel helmet band, though we cannot read all of them. It is definitely a high quality replica, probably made in Eastern Europe or the Czech republic after the war.

Overall a very nice service worn late-war M42 Single Decal Heer Army helmet, with a great worn period camouflage paint job and high end replica liner. M42 helmets of this quality are always the hardest to find on the market. 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.

The last wartime upgrade to the standard helmet took place on 6 July 1942 at the request of the Army High Command. The rolled edge found on M1935 and M1940 helmets was discontinued as a measure of economy. On 1 August 1942 the first M1942 helmets were placed into production, and this was the model produced until late in the war, when most factories were captured or stood idle due to material shortages.