Original German WWII M42 Single Decal Army Heer Helmet with Size 56 Liner – stamped ckl64 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice all original example of a late war German Model 42 Steel helmet. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains over more than 90% of its original textured paint, with only light wear and oxidation from service. The left side of the helmet features a Heer eagle decal, which is retained 75%, with a large chunk missing and overall wear. This is a very nice example of the M42 helmet.

The rear interior of the apron has a stamped manufacturer’s code and size: ckl64, indicating it was manufactured by Eisenhuttenwerk AG, Thale Harz. 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. It is also marked with lot number 2829 on the underside of the rear skirt. Size 64 shells are a nice medium size, and can accommodate size 56 and 57 liners. There are also traces of a “dome stamp” on the inside of the shell, a real rarity.

All three original liner retaining pins are intact and have some of the original paint on the ends, with some definitely wear from service. The interior of the helmet still has an original good M31 leather liner with all eight fingers, with a replacement securing string. The leather is is still quite soft, with a lovely lightly worn look. It does show staining from use. The side of the galvanized steel liner band is marked 64 n.A. / 56, indicating that this is a size 56 liner for a size 64 shell. 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.

The attached chin strap is a wartime or post ware replacement, and is attached with rivets, not the usual metal studs. There are however the usual slots for the studs, so it may be a late war chin strap that was installed when they did not have any studs anymore. It is in good condition, but definitely is a bit dried out and stained.

Overall a very nice late-war M42 Single Decal Heer Army helmet, completely correct! 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.