Original German WWII M42 Single Decal Luftwaffe Helmet with 53cm Liner & Chinstrap – ckl60 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice all original example Model 1942 German WWII helmet shell with a single Luftwaffe Eagle decal and size 53cm liner. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains about 90% of the original lightly textured Luftwaffe Blue-Gray paint, and shows overall light wear from service. The decal is well retained at probably at 90%, with overall light wear and a few chips. If you were looking for a nice lightly worn extra small size M42 helmet, this is it!

The rear interior of the apron has a stamped manufacturer’s code and size: ckl60, 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. It is also marked with lot number 2338 on the underside of the rear skirt. Size 60 is the smallest shell size produced during the war, and can accommodate liners from 52cm to 53cm or US 6 1/2 to 6 5/8. Size 60 shells are VERY hard to find and are therefore more valuable to a collector.

All three liner retaining pins are intact, with almost all of the original paint intact. The interior of the helmet still has the original M31 leather liner, with all 8 fingers still intact, secured at the ends by an original top tie string. The leather is mostly soft and supple, with light wear around the rim. The late war issue galvanized steel liner band is marked on the left outer side with 60 n.A. / 53, indicating that the liner band is a size 58, intended for a 66 shell. However, there is a 53 ink stamp in a circle on the leather itself, which looks to be a mis-stamp, or possibly larger leather was used, as there were very few 52 and 53 size liners made.

It is also faintly maker marked and dated on the other side:

SCHUBERTH-WERKE K.-G.
D. R. P.
1943
BRAUNSCHWEIG

The chin strap is present and fully intact. It does show wear, and the leather is a bit stiff and dried out, but there are no tears or cracks that we can see. It even has a maker code marking bdr 41 on the long end, for 1941 production by Richard Ehrhardt, Lederwarenfabrik (Leatherware Factory) in Pößneck, Thurigen (Thuringia).

Overall a nice condition genuine complete M42 Single Decal Luftwaffe helmet with some great markings! 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.