Original German WWII M42 KIA Shot Damaged Army Heer Helmet with Torn Liner – stamped ckl68 Original Items

Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is a genuine USGI bring back Trophy of War, picked up off the battlefield after the fighting was done. The unique aspect of this particular “Shot Damaged” helmet is what looks to be damage from a .45 caliber bullet strike on the left rear of the helmet. This made a sizable dent in the helmet, tearing the steel to leave a crack about 2 inches long. You can clearly see the outline of where the bullet hit, and it does not appear to have penetrated the helmet entirely, however it did cause significant damage to the liner band. A soldier wearing this helmet during such a strike would have most likely suffered fatal head trauma.

We have carefully examined the edges of the crack, and the damage to the helmet definitely looks to the WWII Period. The helmet was then picked up and brought back to the U.S. by a soldier, and it was most likely after that point that a German Reichsadler was glued to the front, which we have left in place, as it is part of the helmet’s history.

Aside from the battle damage, this is a very nice service worn all original example of a late war German WWII Model 42 Steel helmet, as issued to the Heer Army. It is a “No Decal” variety, as by the later war production was very rushed and decals not really a priority. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains about 60% of its original lightly textured paint, with wear and oxidation from service. There are some small dents and the usual scuffs and scrapes. The interior paint shows less wear, as is common. The helmet overall has the fantastic patina that only real wear in the field can give, in addition to the great battle damage.

The rear interior of the apron has a stamped manufacturer’s code and size: ckl68 over heat lot 3040, indicating it was manufactured by Eisenhuttenwerk AG, Thale Harz. These markings are somewhat lightly stamped, and can be hard to read. 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 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 original liner retaining pins are intact and have most of the original paint on the ends, with some wear from service. The interior of the helmet still has an original M31 leather liner, which unfortunately has had the leather degrade due to age and wear. It is now torn and literally in pieces, only held together by the top tie, which looks to be a shoelace. Most likely long storage after the war allowed the leather to deteriorate, which is quite common. We were not able to read the size markings on the late war galvanized steel band due to the damage, however the right side displays the full manufacture information, as well as a date:

B. & C.
LITZMANNSTADT
1943

This liner was made by Biedermann & Czarnikow, a German company who moved operations to Łódź in occupied Poland to take advantage of the slave labor in the ghetto located there. NSDAP authorities renamed Łódź to Litzmannstadt in honor of the German General Karl Litzmann who had captured the city in the previous World War. This is exactly period correct for this helmet. The chinstrap is unfortunately completely missing.

Overall a very nice service worn late-war M42 Heer Army helmet with some fantastic battle damage from a bullet strike, completely correct with a lovely patinated look! M42 helmets of this quality are always the hardest to find on the market.

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.