Original Item: Only One Available. This is nice representative example of a German WWII M40 helmet, issued to the Heer (Army). This stamped sheet steel construction helmet still retains almost all of it's wartime issue textured panzergrau (armored gray) paint job, with some wear around the bottom edge. There are only a few areas of scuffing oxidation, with no dents that we can see or feel. The left side of the helmet features a Heer silver eagle decal, which is retained about 95%, showing just a bit of scratching. Really a great example showing some light period wear.

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is batch number stamped T605, and the interior, left side, apron has a stamped manufacturer's code and size, Q62. This indicates it was manufactured by F.W. Quist G.m.b.H in Esslingen, Germany in size 62. Size 62 is a nice smaller size that can accommodate liners from 54cm to 55cm or US 6 3/4 to 6 7/8.

All three liner retaining pins are intact, and still have almost all of the original paint still present. The interior of the helmet still has the original M31 leather liner with all eight of its fingers intact. The leather is in very good condition, retaining the natural leather color well, and is still soft and supple. The top tie is still present and in great shape, and all the eyelets are intact. The side of the galvanized steel liner band is marked 62 n.A. / 55, indicating that this is a size 55 liner for a size 62 shell. The leather itself is also marked with size 55 in a circle. The right side has very faint manufacturer markings, which only show the top line, a partial SCHUBERTH-WERKE K.-G..

The original chinstrap is fully intact, still retaining all thirteen size adjustment holes, and has the correct wartime galvanized steel buckle and attachment studs. The leather shows some aged and wrinkling, but we can still make out a maker marking on the end of the longer section: O. REICHEL / LENGEFELD/41. Otto Reichel of Lengefeld in the Saxony region was a known maker of holsters and other military accouterments during the war.

This German WWII M40 Heer helmet retains nearly all of its textured panzergrau finish, approximately 95% of its Heer eagle decal, and all three painted liner-retaining pins. The Q62 shell contains a correctly sized 55 cm M31 liner with all eight fingers, eyelets, and the original top tie intact, while the complete chinstrap retains its adjustment holes, galvanized fittings, and 1941-dated Otto Reichel maker marking. Exterior wear is limited primarily to the lower edge, with scattered scuffing and oxidation but no visible dents. Overall, it remains a substantially complete and well-preserved single-decal Heer helmet with strong original markings, finish, and interior components.

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.