Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Heer Army M35 steel helmet that began as an early double decal example and was later arsenal overpainted in a lightly textured Panzergrau finish. The repaint covered the original Heer eagle and national colors decals, after which a new Heer eagle decal was applied to the left side. Subsequent service wear has exposed portions and outlines of the earlier finish and decals beneath. The helmet is stamped ET62 with rear lot number 4017 and retains a 1940 dated size 54 liner and 1940 dated chinstrap.

The shell was originally finished in the early smooth Apfelgrün, or apple green, paint associated with prewar and early war M35 production. It originally carried the standard double decal configuration, with a Heer eagle on the left side and national colors shield on the right. 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. At a later point the exterior was refinished in a darker, lightly textured Panzergrau finish that was applied over both original decals.

Following the repaint, a fresh silver Heer eagle decal was applied to the left side. The national colors shield was not replaced. The later eagle remains approximately 90% intact and has developed the warm yellowed tone often seen as the clear top coating ages.

Continued service wear has created an especially interesting layered appearance. Scratches, scuffs, chips, and general abrasion have worn through portions of the textured overpaint to reveal the earlier apple green finish beneath. The outline and portions of the covered original decals can also be seen through or beneath the later paint.

The interior retains its earlier apple green finish to a much greater degree than the exterior and shows scattered oxidation and areas of paint lifting.

The left interior skirt is stamped:

ET62

identifying manufacture by Eisenhüttenwerk AG of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany. Size 62 is a nice smaller size that can accommodate liners from 54cm to 55cm or US 6 3/4 to 6 7/8. The rear skirt is stamped with heat lot number:

4017

All three liner retaining split pins remain present and retain most of the later textured Panzergrau overpaint.

The helmet retains its M31 leather liner with all eight fingers intact, though the original top tie is missing. The leather has aged to a chestnut brown tone and remains supple overall, with some flaking where it bends over the inner liner band.

The galvanized steel outer liner band is marked:

62 n.A. / 54

indicating a size 54 liner fitted to a size 62 shell. One of the rear liner fingers is also stamped with a circled:

54

The opposite side of the liner band is marked:

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

confirming 1940 production by Schuberth-Werk of Braunschweig.

The helmet retains a complete chinstrap with a steel buckle side secured by a steel stud and a longer adjustment section retained by an aluminum stud. The leather is in very good matured condition with finish wear and staining but no major cracks or tears. All thirteen adjustment holes remain present, indicating that the long section has not been shortened. A maker marking survives at the end of the strap, though only the date:

1940

is still legible.

With its ET62 shell, lot number 4017, layered apple green and textured Panzergrau finishes, traces of the original double decal configuration, approximately 90% surviving later Heer eagle, 1940 dated size 54 liner, and complete 1940 dated chinstrap, this is a particularly interesting service modified M35 helmet. The missing liner tie, interior paint lifting, scattered oxidation, exterior wear, and partially obscured original decals are all fully disclosed. It would fit especially well in an M35 helmet, Heer headgear, reissued German helmet, double decal conversion, or advanced WWII helmet collection.

The German Stahlhelm
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.

The last wartime upgrade to the standard helmet took place on 6 July 1942 at the request of the Army High Command. The rolled edge found on M1935 and M1940 helmets was discontinued as a measure of economy. On 1 August 1942 the first M1942 helmets were placed into production, and this was the model produced until late in the war, when most factories were captured or stood idle due to material shortages.