Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice original example of a Model 1940 German WWII helmet shell, with a single Luftwaffe Eagle decal and what looks to be a replicated "dirty snow" camouflage paint job. This was almost certainly applied post war by a collector to dress it up for a winter impression, possibly to use during reenactment. There are some dents in the surface, which look to have happened after the camouflage was applied, as well as simulated aging. The left side still has an original Luftwaffe eagle decal, which is retained at about 75%, showing overall wear and age toning, as well as age checking in the enamel top coat.

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is batch number stamped T769, however we were not able to find a manufacturer code and either under the left side skirt or on the rear skirt. However, M40 helmets with "T" prefix batch numbers are known to have been manufactured by F.W. Quist G.m.b.H. in the German city of Esslingen. This maker continued to produce M40 type helmets until the end of the war, making only a few M42 helmets. They also did move the maker code from the left to the center later in the war, so perhaps this was made during the transition, and ended up being not marked. We have measured the exterior, and it comes out to almost 63cm, so this is a 62 size shell, a nice smaller size that can accommodate liners from 54cm to 55cm or US 6 3/4 to 6 5/8. 

Overall a very nice genuine M40 Single Decal Luftwaffe helmet shell, repainted post war to give it a great look!

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.