Original German WWII M42 Textured Camouflage Army Heer Helmet with Net & 56cm Liner – ET64 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great all original example of a German Model 42 Steel helmet, as issued to the Wehrmacht Heer (army). It shows use in the field, and has had the original paint covered with a lovely textured paint job, which helps to camouflage the helmet in the sun. It also has a very nice twine helmet net, which would help to secure various pieces of foliage to the helmet to increase the camouflage profile. It retains a good deal of this original paint, with the expected wear from service and use. This is a very nice example of the M42 helmet, with a great look!

Above the left ear interior of the apron has a stamped manufacturer’s code and size ET64 indicating it was manufactured by Eisenhuttenwerk AG, in Thale, Harz. Size 64 is a medium size shell, which can accommodate size 56-57 liners. The medium size makes these harder to find and more desirable to a collector. It is also marked with lot number 2107 on the underside of the rear skirt. 

All three liner retaining pins are intact, with the exterior paint retained to a varying degree. They have definitely seen wear over the years. The interior of the helmet still has the original M31 leather liner, which is quite good condition. The leather is a nice chestnut brown, and all of the fingers are still present, with the correct top tie still installed. There is a tear in one of the fingers, but otherwise it’s a very good liner. The leather is stamped 56 inside a circle, indicating the size. The late war galvanized steel band is unfortunately very tight in the shell, so we are not able to see any of the markings on the sides.

The chin strap is present, but definitely shows wear and use. The leather is dark brown and somewhat stretched out, with some deterioration on the back. There are traces of markings on one end, which looks to be part of a “42” date, but the stamp was mis-struck, so it is not fully legible.

Overall an very nice M42 Heer Army helmet, with a great textured paint job and helmet net! 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.