Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is a genuine USGI bring back Trophy of War, picked up off the battlefield after it was abandoned. The unique aspect of this particular "Shot Through" helmet are what look to be two .30 caliber bullet holes on the front crown, which are definitely entrance holes. They are missing the paint around them, and the angle definitely indicates it was hit from above, which also damaged the liner inside the helmet. Definitely an interesting helmet!

Otherwise, this is a very good condition all original example of a German Model 40 Steel helmet, as issued to the Wehrmacht Heer (army). Aside from the battle damage, it shows only light to moderate service wear to the shell. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains about 90% of its original lightly textured "panzergrau" paint, with some of the texture worn away. The left side of the helmet features a nice Heer eagle decal, which is retained about 80% with overall light wear, and a scratch going through much of the bottom of the decal. This is a very nice example of a battle damaged M40 helmet, with a great lightly worn look!

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is heat lot number stamped 1066 and the interior, left side, apron has the stamped manufacturer's code and size, ET64 indicating that it was manufactured by Eisenhüttenwerk AG of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany. Size 64 is a nice medium size that can accommodate liners from 56cm to 57cm or US 7 to 7 1/8. Size 64 shells are harder to find and are therefore more valuable to a collector.

All three original liner retaining pins are intact and have most of the original paint on the ends, with some light wear from service. The two front pins have a different finish than the rear pin, so they may have been replaced. The interior of the helmet still has an original M31 leather liner, which still has all 8 fingers present, but the front two were torn away by the bullets as they went through the shell, and are now hanging on the installed top tie string. The rest of the liner shows light wear and a lovely chestnut brown color, with some splitting over the edge. The side of the galvanized steel liner band is marked 64 n.A. / 56, indicating that this is a size 56 liner for a size 64 shell, and there is a size 56 stamped on one of the remaining fingers. The right side has the full maker information clearly stamped:

Metall-Lederverarbeitung W.Z.
1940
Bln.- Ch'burg 5

This indicates production by the metal and leather working company Werner Zahn, based in Berlin - Charlottenburg, in the year 1940, which fits right into the early war period.

The chinstrap in this helmet is in delicate condition due to age and wear, and is broken in several places, with the buckle end torn off right where the stitching starts. The longer side only has 10 of the original size adjustment holes, and it is torn through around the right side liner loop, and stays in place by force of habit only.

Overall a very nice 100% genuine M40 KIA Shot Through Heer Army Single Decal helmet! M40 helmets of this quality and history are always the hardest to find on the market. This is an item that will only continue to appreciate in value over time.

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.