Original German WWII Luftwaffe M42 Single Decal Helmet with 1940 Dated 56cm Liner - ET64

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great service used all original example of a Model 1942 German WWII helmet with a single Luftwaffe Eagle decal and size 56cm liner. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet still retains much of the original lightly textured Luftwaffe Fliegerblau (flyer's blue) paint, which utilized aluminum oxide as a texturing agent. There is scuffing to the paint and some worked in dirt, particularly on the top of the helmet where the paint is completely worn away in areas and the steel rusted, but there is no major damage out of line with wear from service. It looks like some reddish paint dripped on the helmet long ago as well.

The interior paint is relatively well retained, with just a bit of oxidation in areas, particularly around the lower rim. The original Luftwaffe eagle decal is still retained at bout 80%, showing a lovely aged toned color and checked service. There is a bit of flaking in areas such as on the swas (hook cross) and the "right" wing. Really a lovely helmet with a fantastic "been there" look and a nice decal.

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is heat lot number stamped 2190 and the interior, left side, apron has the stamped manufacturer's code and size, ET64 indicating that it was manufactured by Eisenhüttenwerk of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany. 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.

All three liner retaining pins are intact, with exterior paint partly worn away on all from use in service. The helmet still has its correct condition M31 liner with all 8 of the original "fingers" present and intact, though the original top tie securing string is missing. The leather is still relatively supple, withy just a few areas of cracking and wear, particularly around the rim where the leather bends over the inner band. The left exterior of the galvanized steel liner band is marked 64 n. A. / 56, indicating that it is a size 56 liner for a size 64 shell. There is also a faint 56 in a circle on one of the rear fingers. The right side displays the full manufacture information, as well as a date:

SCHUBERTH-WERKE K.-G.
D. R. P.
1940
BRAUNSCHWEIG

The original chin strap is unfortunately completely missing.

Overall a lovely service used condition genuine M42 Single Decal Luftwaffe helmet, with a patina that is impossible to duplicate! 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.