Original German WWII M18 Transitional Heer Army Double Decal Helmet with 58cm Liner and Chinstrap - Stamped ET66

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely example of a WWI M18 helmet, which was converted for use by the Third Reich in the 1930s before the widespread issue of the M1935 helmet. This would involve repainting, and the helmet was then fitted with a pre-war M-31 Leather liner, with the correct WWII pattern split pins. This example looks to have been in service for some time, and was originally finished in WWII early war "Apfel-grün" (Apple Green). After that it saw long use, which has worn and chipped the original paint, showing the steel shell in many places. It also looks like the shell may have been overpainted at one point, but that finish too wore away, leaving a fantastic aged patina.

The shell was originally outfit with the "National Colors" and "Heer Eagle" decals, which are still both present and were not painted over! The use of the second decal was discontinued in 1940, and in 1943 it was ordered that helmets with the national colors have them removed, so finding a helmet with both still intact is a real treat! Both decals show age and wear, with some areas having chipped, and we can see some remnants of red paint as well, possibly from a past overpaint, or maybe used as a primer coat. Definitely an interesting example with a great look!

The shell is stamped E.T. 66. indicating that Eisenhüttenwerke Thale A.G., in Thale /Harz manufactured it. This company made shells in sizes 60 - 68 for the war effort. Size 66 is a nice large size that can accommodate liners from 58cm to 59cm or US 7 1/4 to 7 3/8. Size 66 shells are harder to find and are therefore more valuable to a collector. The inside crown is oxidized, with the paint no longer present. We checked thoroughly, and were not able to find any other rolling mill markings on the inside. It also retains both of the extended ventilation side lugs, which are the correct short version without a step for the larger size 66 shell. This would ensure proper installation of a Stirnpanzer brow plate regardless of shell size.

All three original liner retaining pins are intact and have some of the original paint on the ends. The interior of the helmet still has an original M31 leather liner with all eight fingers present and in good shape, with the top tie string present, though degraded and almost torn through in place. The leather is a bit worn, showing a nice chestnut brown color, and there is some splitting over the rim. The left side of the galvanized steel liner band is marked 66n.A. / 58, indicating a size 58 liner for a size 66 shell. The other side is too close to the shell to read, so we cannot see any of the maker markings. There is a very nice original chinstrap installed on the liner, which is the later war style with all steel hardware. It shows wear to the leather, but all thirteen size adjustment hole are still present, with no tears we can see.

A beautiful, solid example of WWII Heer Army Reissued M18 helmet with "Double Decals" and a great worn look! Comes ready to research and display!

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, in the spring of 1916. These first modern M16 helmets evolved into the M18 helmets by the end of WWI. At the end of WWI it is estimated that Germany had produced about 8,500,000 steel helmets. As a result of the restrictions placed on the German’s by the Treaty of Versailles, which dictated a standing army of only 100,000 personnel, there was an abundant surplus of these helmets, and though they saw widespread use by Freikorps personnel, there was still a stockpile controlled by the Reichswehr.

These excess helmets underwent minor modifications in 1923 with the addition of provincial identifying shield decals and in 1931 with the development of a new chinstrap and liner system. Although helmet development was ongoing when AH came to power in 1933, the M16 and M18 helmets were still the main headgear worn by the Reichswehr. The helmets remained the same until March 1933 when the provincial shields were discontinued in favour of the national tri-color shield. In 1934 the national eagle shield was introduced, and both the tri-color and eagle shields were applied to the helmets. After the development of the new M35 helmet, the WWI helmets were still issued to second line and training troops well into WWII. The Austrian M16 was almost identical to the German version with the positioning of the chinstrap liner rivets being the most readily identifiable difference.