Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very appealing original German WWII Heer Army M42 steel helmet shell, stamped CKL64 and retaining approximately 75% of its original wartime finish. The helmet shows honest service wear throughout, with areas of exposed and oxidized steel, a distinctive protected band around the lower shell where an unknown item was once fitted, and no evidence that a decal was ever applied. It is fitted today with a postwar Czech reproduction liner together with an original early pattern chinstrap.

The stamped sheet steel shell retains about 75% of its original paint. Wear is consistent with age and service, including areas where the finish has worn completely through and allowed the underlying steel to oxidize.

A noticeable circular band runs around the lower portion of the helmet where something appears to have remained fitted for an extended period. Whatever was present protected the finish beneath it, leaving a clearer strip of surviving paint after the item was removed. The exact nature of the missing attachment cannot be confirmed.

There is no decal present on the shell and no obvious evidence that one was ever applied.

The rear interior apron is stamped:

CKL64
4923

The CKL manufacturer code identifies Eisenhüttenwerk A.G. of Thale, Germany, while 64 indicates the shell size. The heat lot number is 4923. Late in the war, the earlier ET factory code associated with Thale production was replaced by the three letter CKL code, and the factory marking was moved to the rear skirt.

A size 64 shell is a practical medium size and can accommodate approximately size 56 or 57 liners.

All three liner retaining pins remain intact, and the exterior paint is well retained on each one.

The currently installed liner is a Czech made postwar reproduction. The leather is marked with a size 57 inside a circle and is typical of the Czech reproduction liners encountered on restored German helmet shells. The outer liner band is non-magnetic and carries replicated markings. The leather portion remains in very good condition.

An original early pattern chinstrap is attached to the liner. It features an aluminum buckle and attachment studs and remains complete, with all thirteen size adjustment holes still present on the longer section.

The chinstrap leather has aged considerably and shows staining, surface cracking, and general deterioration. It is still complete and free from tears, but should be handled carefully to avoid further damage.

Condition overall is very good for a service used original M42 shell. The wartime steel shell, original finish, manufacturer and lot markings, all three liner pins, and original chinstrap all remain present. The liner itself is a later Czech reproduction and is correctly identified as such. The combination of strong shell wear, intact late war CKL64 markings, and original early chinstrap gives this helmet excellent display character for a Heer or German WWII steel helmet collection.

The German Stahlhelm Steel 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.

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.