Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Heer Army single decal M40 steel helmet manufactured by Eisenhüttenwerk AG of Thale, stamped ET62, and fitted with a size 55 M31 liner and surviving chinstrap. The shell retains approximately 60% of its original lightly textured Panzergrau blue gray finish, while the left side Heer eagle decal remains approximately 80% complete. The interior rear is additionally named in white paint to Schumacher.

The exterior finish shows substantial service wear, particularly across the crown and sides, with chipped paint and localized oxidation exposing the steel beneath. Despite the wear, there is no obvious evidence that the helmet was repainted during or after the war, and the surviving finish presents with an even, naturally aged appearance.

The Heer eagle decal remains approximately 80% intact. Its clear enamel top coat has yellowed with age, giving the decal a warm toned appearance. There are scattered scratches and chips exposing the paint and steel beneath, together with age checking and surface deterioration, but the overall eagle remains clearly recognizable.

The left interior skirt is stamped:

ET62

identifying a size 62 shell manufactured 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 heat lot numbered:

895

Beneath the rear interior is the name:

Schumacher

applied in white paint. The inscription shows discoloration and wear consistent with age and does not fluoresce under black light examination.

All three original liner retaining pins remain present. The heads appear to be plated steel and have consequently lost much of their original painted finish.

The helmet retains an original M31 leather liner with all eight fingers intact and the top securing string still present. The leather remains mostly soft and supple with a light brown color, though there is scattered staining and some flaking where the leather bends over the liner band.

The galvanized steel liner band is marked:

62 n.A. / 55

indicating a size 55 liner fitted to a size 62 shell. A size 55 stamp within a circle is also present on one of the rear leather fingers. The right side of the liner band carries a lightly struck early Schuberth marking:

[D.R.P.]
SCHUBERTH - WERK
K.-G.
BRAUNSCHWEIG
????

The upper line and date are no longer legible, so no specific liner manufacture year can be confirmed.

The chinstrap remains mostly intact and retains its early style aluminum buckle and aluminum attachment studs. The leather is somewhat stiff and cracked from age, and only nine of the original thirteen adjustment holes remain because the end of the strap was shortened and then neatly recut to an angled profile.

Overall condition is very good and strongly service worn, with approximately 60% original textured finish, an 80% Heer decal, a named interior, complete eight finger liner, all three retaining pins, and a surviving chinstrap. The finish loss, oxidation, staining, liner flaking, faint Schuberth marking, and shortened chinstrap are all fully disclosed. It would display especially well in a Heer helmet, M40, ET manufactured, named German WWII headgear, or advanced combat helmet collection.

The German Stahlhelm
The first "modern" stahlhelm 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.