Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Heer Army single decal M42 steel helmet manufactured by Eisenhüttenwerk of Thale, stamped ET64, and fitted with a 1940 dated size 56 M31 liner. The shell retains approximately 75% of its original textured Panzergrau armor gray finish, while the Heer eagle decal remains approximately 90% complete.

The exterior finish shows honest service wear, with the greatest loss across the top of the crown where exposed steel has developed oxidation. Additional wear is present around the sides, but much of the original textured finish remains intact and there is no indication in the supplied description of a later repaint.

The left side retains a very strong Heer eagle decal at approximately 90%. There are small chips where the decal crosses raised areas of the textured paint, together with a few light scratches, but the silver coloration remains notably bright and the overall design is very well preserved.

The left interior skirt is stamped:

ET64

identifying a size 64 shell manufactured by Eisenhüttenwerk 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.. The rear skirt is heat lot numbered:

2451

All three liner retaining split pins remain present. Their exterior paint is partly worn away from service, and the heads appear to be galvanized, which has contributed to additional finish loss.

The helmet retains its original M31 leather liner with all eight fingers present and intact. The original top tie string is missing, and the rear seam has pulled apart. The leather remains relatively supple overall, with no tears through the fingers, though there is wear and flaking where it bends over the liner band. The front left forehead area has a split approximately 4" long along this fold line.

The galvanized steel liner band is marked:

64 n.A. / 56

indicating a size 56 liner fitted to a size 64 shell. A faint size 56 within a circle is also present on one of the rear liner fingers. The opposite side is maker marked and dated:

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

identifying manufacture by Schuberth-Werke of Braunschweig in 1940.

The original chinstrap is no longer present.

Overall condition is very good and strongly representative of a service worn Heer M42, retaining approximately 75% of its original textured finish, a particularly strong 90% eagle decal, all three liner pins, and a complete 1940 dated size 56 liner assembly. The missing chinstrap, missing liner tie string, opened rear liner seam, 4" forehead split, paint loss, and oxidation across the crown are all fully disclosed. It would display especially well in a Heer helmet, M42, ET manufactured, early liner configuration, or advanced German WWII combat helmet collection.

The German Stahlhelm
The first "modern" steel helmets (stahlhelm) 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.