Original Item. Only One Available. During World War I Bulgarian soldiers were equipped with the German Stahlhelm M1916, which remained in service up to the end of the 1930s. The restrictions imposed on the Bulgarian Army by the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine of 1919 were overcome in the mid-1930s and in 1935 the High Command ordered the design of a new army helmet. At the end of 1935 the prototype was ready and subsequently approved in 1936.

This is a great example of a German WWI M1916 Stahlhelm which was imported into Bulgaria post-war with the liner replaced and the Bulgarian Crest added to one side for use during the Pre-WWII and WWII era. There also appears to be a skull pad under the liner, but it is loose and not connected to the helmet. 

The helmet is stamped next to one of the chinstrap bales Si 66, for the maker Eisenhuette Silesia, Paruschowitz Oberschlesien. This is a relatively uncommon maker to find, as they only produced shells in sizes 62 and 66. Size 66 is a nice large size that can accommodate liners from 58cm to 60cm or US 7 1/4 to 7 1/2. There is now a loose skull pad under the liner, so we couldn’t see if there was a rolling mill mark. 

One of the two dome headed chinstrap retaining rivets has been removed, and replaced with one end of a chinstrap as shown. This was done during the period by Bulgaria. The rest of the chinstrap is unfortunately gone now. 

The liner is held in by one of the three original liner pins and a second added pin to the back which is rounded. 

The Bulgarian liner is in good shape with heavy service wear.

A great reissued M1916 Stahlhelm, ready for further research and display!

History of the M16 Helmet
The Stahlhelm was introduced into regular service during the Verdun campaign in early 1916.

The M1916 design had side-mounted horn-like ventilator lugs which were intended to be support for an additional steel brow plate or Stirnpanzer, which only ever saw limited use by snipers and trench raiding parties, as it was too heavy for general use.

The shell came in different sizes, from 60 to 68, with some size 70s reported. The suspension, or liner, consisted of a headband with three segmented leather pouches, each holding padding materials, and leather or fabric cords could be adjusted to provide a comfortable fit. The one-piece leather chinstrap was attached to the shell by M1891 chinstrap lugs, the same kind used in the Pickelhaube helmet.

The M1916 design provided excellent protection: Reserve Lieutenant Walter Schulze of 8th Company Reserve Infantry Regiment 76 described his combat introduction to the helmet on the Somme, 29 July 1916:

"... suddenly, with a great clanging thud, I was hit on the forehead and knocked flying onto the floor of the trench... a shrapnel bullet had hit my helmet with great violence, without piercing it, but sufficiently hard to dent it. If I had, as had been usual up until a few days previously, been wearing a cap, then the Regiment would have had one more man killed."

But the helmet was not without its flaws. The ventilator horns often let cold air in during the winter, requiring the wearer to block the vents with mud or fabric. The large, flared skirt tended to make it difficult for soldiers to hear, distorting surrounding sounds and creating an echo when the wearer spoke.

Originally painted Feldgrau (field grey), the Stahlhelm was often camouflaged by troops in the field using mud, foliage, cloth covers, and paint. Official issue cloth covers in white and grey appeared in late 1916 and early 1917. Camouflage paint was not formally introduced until July 1918, when German Army Order II, No 91 366, signed by General Erich Ludendorff on 7 July 1918, outlined official standards for helmet camouflage. The order stipulated that helmets should be painted in several colors, separated by a finger-wide black line. The colors should be relevant to the season, such as using green, brown and ocher in summer.

After the effectiveness of the M1916 design was validated during the 1916 campaigns, incremental improvements were subsequently made.