Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII double decal Civic Police M40 steel combat helmet, stamped ET64 and complete with its original paint, approximately 80% retained Civic Police eagle and party shield decals, original M31 leather liner sized 56cm, and a complete 1941 dated chinstrap. It is a very attractive service used example with approximately 50% of the original lightly textured Panzergrau exterior finish remaining, considerably more paint retained around the lower skirt, and a heavily worn crown that gives the helmet a convincing field used appearance.

The German Ordnungspolizei, or uniformed police, used steel helmets in both civil and field service roles during WWII. Police formations operated throughout German occupied Europe and could be assigned to security, rear-area, anti-partisan, and other militarized duties. This helmet carries the standard double decal configuration associated with police issue, with the Civic Police eagle on the wearer’s left and the party shield on the right.

The stamped steel M40 shell retains approximately 50% of its original lightly textured Panzergrau paint. The crown is almost completely worn through to the underlying steel, while the lower sides and skirt retain much more of the original finish. The interior retains more paint than the exterior, although there is finish loss and oxidation inside the dome.

The wearer’s left side carries the Civic Police eagle decal, while the right side carries the red party shield with mobile swas. Both decals appear original to the helmet and retain approximately 80% of their designs. Each shows age related chipping, scratching, and surface deterioration consistent with service wear, with attractive toning throughout.

The rear interior neck guard is heat lot stamped:

1048

The wearer’s left interior apron is stamped:

ET64

The ET manufacturer code identifies production by Eisenhüttenwerk AG of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany, while 64 denotes the shell size. This size normally accommodates approximately 56cm to 57cm liners, corresponding roughly to U.S. hat sizes 7 to 7 1/8.

All three original liner retaining pins remain present. Most of the exterior finish has worn from the pin heads, leaving an oxidized aged patina. The helmet retains an original M31 leather liner with all eight fingers intact and the original top tie still secured. The leather remains soft and has matured to a chestnut brown color. No major tears are present, although there is some splitting where the leather folds over the inner liner band at the forehead.

The later galvanized steel liner band is marked on the wearer’s left side:

64 n.A. / 56

This identifies a size 56 liner intended for a size 64 shell. The wearer’s right side retains a partially visible:

SCHUBERTH-WERK

manufacturer marking, although the remainder is too unclear to determine the production date.

The attached chinstrap is a complete original later style example with painted steel hardware. The metal fittings show some finish loss from use and age, while the leather remains supple with staining from wear but no visible tearing. The long section retains all thirteen original adjustment holes, together with one additional hole nearer the center that was added later for display.

A faint maker and date marking remains visible beneath the adjustment holes:

CZALOSITZER LEDERWERKE
1941

This is a leather factory and manufacturer located in Czalositz (now Žalhostice, near Leitmeritz / Litoměřice) in the historical Sudetenland region. The 1941 date is an especially useful surviving detail on an otherwise heavily service worn chinstrap.

With its ET64 shell, heat lot 1048, double Civic Police decals retaining approximately 80%, original 56cm M31 liner with all eight fingers and top tie, Schuberth-Werk liner band, and complete 1941 dated Czalositzer Lederwerke chinstrap, this is a particularly appealing service used M40 police helmet. The substantial crown paint loss, interior oxidation, worn liner pins, forehead splitting to the liner leather, partially obscured liner maker mark, chinstrap finish loss, staining, and added display hole are all fully disclosed. It would display especially well in a German WWII police helmet, double decal M40, Eisenhüttenwerke Thale, Ordnungspolizei, or advanced combat helmet collection.

The German Helmet:
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.

More than 1 million M1935 helmets were manufactured in the first two years after its introduction, and millions more were produced until 1940 when the basic design and production methods were changed, replacing the multi-piece riveted vent with one stamped directly into the steel. Later, in 1942 the rolled steel rim was removed from the pattern to further expedite production.