Original Items: One of a Kind Set. This is an original German WWII Heer M40 steel helmet preserved inside a named U.S. serviceman bring back shipping box, making for a particularly interesting research and display grouping. The helmet is stamped Q66 with heat lot DN506 and retains its original 1943 dated size 58 M31 liner, later war chinstrap, and a named interior. The sturdy cardboard box retains clear wartime mailing information for CPL. P. A. Tremper of Company C, 56th Signal Battalion, addressed to Mr. & Mrs. E. Smith in Detroit, Michigan.

The original bring back box measures approximately 14" x 10 1/2" x 9" and is made from heavy solid pressed cardboard rather than corrugated stock. It is marked for 350 lb PSI bursting strength and also carries the printed wording:

CANS TREATED TO PREVENT RUST

The box remains sturdy and retains its original address information:

FROM
CPL. P.A. TREMPER
Co. "C" 56 SIG. BN.
APO 403 P.M. N.Y.

MR. & MRS. E. SMITH
9224 CHAMBERLAIN AVE.
DETROIT MICH.

The corners of the box were modified at some point so that it could fold down more easily. The helmet is currently packed with newspaper dating from the early 1960s, including one piece dated 1961, suggesting that the grouping was repacked for storage after the war. The box and paper have the characteristic aged storage odor associated with long term attic or household storage.

Research supplied with the grouping notes an online reference to a “No Mail” Tremper serving in Company C of the 56th Signal Battalion. That reference comes from a group of wartime caricatures by George T. Hilliard, known as “Frenchy,” depicting fellow members of Company C. The shared surname and unit make the reference potentially relevant, but the exact identification of CPL. P. A. Tremper as the same individual has not been independently confirmed.

This information was posted as part of comments on WWII Veteran Bob Searl, Sr, who posted much online, with Tremper mentioned on this page: Gallery 6. Further research into records may be able to find more information on Tremper.

The helmet itself is an original German Model 1940 steel helmet as issued to the Heer. It appears to have seen relatively light wartime service and shows no evidence that a standard Heer decal was ever applied. A hand painted NSDAP style shield is present on the exterior and appears to have been added later, plausibly as a U.S. serviceman bring back embellishment, though the exact time and person responsible cannot be conclusively established.

The shell retains a strong amount of its original lightly textured Panzergrau paint. There are scattered scratches and areas of light flaking through the textured finish, but no major oxidation or structural damage. Aside from the hand painted shield, no other significant modifications are evident.

The rear interior neck guard is stamped:

Q66
DN506

The Q manufacturer code identifies F. W. Quist G.m.b.H. of Esslingen, Germany, while 66 denotes the shell size. The heat lot is DN506. Size 66 is a nice larger size that can accommodate liners from 58cm to 59cm or US 7 1/4 to 7 5/8. Size 66 shells are harder to find and are therefore more valuable to a collector.

This is a later war helmet, as Quist moved the markings to the back of the helmet in 1942-1943. They also manufactured the M40 pattern until the end of the war in 1945, and only produced a very few number of recorded M42 helmets. This is exactly the type of helmet that would have no decal and have seen only light use by the end of the war.

All three original liner retaining pins remain present and retain most of their original paint, with only scattered small chips.

The helmet retains its original M31 leather liner with all eight fingers present. The original top tie is also retained, though it is currently untied and held in place by small knots that prevent it from pulling through the finger eyelets. The leather remains relatively light in color and shows very little wear.

A name is written inside the liner:

Kulmegies
Gerhard

The significance of this name is not documented here, but it represents an important potential research point for the helmet.

The galvanized steel liner band is marked:

66 n.A. / 58

indicating a size 58 liner fitted to a size 66 shell. The rear liner finger is also marked with a circled:

58

The opposite side of the liner band carries the full manufacturer and date information:

SCHUBERTH-WERKE K.-G.
D. R. P.
1943
BRAUNSCHWEIG

The chinstrap is the correct later war style with galvanized steel buckle and attachment studs. The hardware shows some oxidation to the plated finish but no major rust or structural damage, and the buckle remains functional.

The leather strap is full length with all thirteen adjustment holes still present. It shows no tears or major damage and remains usable for display, though it has stiffened somewhat with age. A partial maker number is visible at the end of the longer strap, but it is incomplete and cannot be confidently identified.

With its named U.S. bring back box, clear CPL. P. A. Tremper / Company C, 56th Signal Battalion mailing information, Quist Q66 shell, heat lot DN506, 1943 dated size 58 Schuberth liner, named interior, complete chinstrap, and lightly used wartime finish, this is a particularly compelling Heer M40 helmet grouping with strong research potential. The repacked 1961 newspaper, modified box corners, hand painted shield, partial chinstrap marking, and unconfirmed connection between the box owner and the online “No Mail” Tremper reference are all fully disclosed. It would display especially well in a U.S. bring back, Heer combat helmet, Quist M40, Signal Corps provenance, or advanced German WWII headgear collection.

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.