Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Luftwaffe single decal M42 steel helmet with approximately 80% of its original lightly textured Fliegerblau, or Flyer’s Blue, finish remaining. It retains a well preserved Luftwaffe eagle decal, its original 1943 dated 56cm M31 liner, complete chinstrap, interior name markings, and rear shell stamp ckl64 over lot number 2952.

The stamped steel M42 shell retains approximately 80% of its original lightly textured Luftwaffe Flyer’s Blue paint. The finish shows honest overall service wear, with scattered abrasions and loss but no indication in the supplied description of later repainting. The single Luftwaffe eagle decal remains approximately 75% intact, with general wear and several chips.

The rear interior skirt is stamped with the make code and size over the lot number:

ckl64
2952

The ckl manufacturer code identifies manufacture Eisenhüttenwerk AG of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany. Towards the end of the war, the ET marking was discontinued in favor of three letter code ckl, and moved the marking under the rear skirt. Size 64 shells are a nice medium size, and can accommodate size 56 and 57 liners.

All three liner retaining pins remain present and intact, though most of their original exterior finish has worn away. The helmet retains its M31 leather liner with all eight fingers intact and an original top tie string still present. The tie shows some fraying. The leather remains mostly soft and supple with a light brown color and light wear concentrated around the lower edge.

The galvanized steel liner band is marked:

64 n.A. / 56

indicating a size 56 liner assembly intended for a size 64 helmet shell. The leather itself also carries a circled 56 ink size stamp.

The opposite side of the liner band is marked:

B. & C.
LITZMANNSTADT
1943

This liner was made by Biedermann & Czarnikow, a German company who moved operations to Łódź in occupied Poland to take advantage of the slave labor in the ghetto located there. NSDAP authorities renamed Łódź to Litzmannstadt in honor of the German General Karl Litzmann who had captured the city in the previous World War.

The liner carries two handwritten markings. The left side is marked:

Flg. Wachter

while the right side is marked:

Aug. Fritz

Both inscriptions appear in the same color. They may be related, but without additional documentation their exact meaning and relationship to the original wearer cannot be established.

The chinstrap remains complete and attached. The leather shows age, use, stiffness, and drying but remains intact. The long section is fitted with an aluminum stud and retains all thirteen adjustment holes. A cut passes through the final three adjustment holes and appears to be an old modification. A faint maker marking is also present nearby along with what appears to be a 1938 date.

The shorter chinstrap section has an aluminum stud and painted steel buckle. Both sections show normal age and service wear consistent with the helmet as a whole.

With its ckl64 Thale shell, lot number 2952, substantial surviving original Flyer’s Blue finish, approximately 75% Luftwaffe eagle decal, 1943 dated Biedermann & Czarnikow 56cm liner, complete chinstrap, and handwritten interior markings, this is a strong service used Luftwaffe M42 helmet. The worn liner pins, frayed top tie, aged and stiff chinstrap, cut through the final three adjustment holes, decal loss, paint wear, and uncertain interpretation of the interior inscriptions are all fully disclosed. It would fit especially well in a Luftwaffe helmet, M42 steel helmet, ckl / Thale production, named field gear, or advanced German WWII headgear collection.

German Luftwaffe Helmets
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.

The Luftwaffe pattern national eagle was originally introduced for wear by Fliegerschaft, (Pilot Base), personnel of the DLV, Deutscher Luftsportsverband, (German Air Sports Association), the clandestine, civilian, forerunner of the Luftwaffe on August 18TH 1934, and adopted for wear by the Luftwaffe on March 1ST 1935 along with the national tri-color shield for wear on the helmet.

The first pattern national eagle was utilized until a modified second pattern eagle was introduced in late 1936 or early 1937. Regulations of June 12TH 1940 discontinued the use of the national tri-color decal and further regulations of August 28TH 1943 abolished the national eagle decal and dictated that it was also to be removed from all helmets although the directives were not completely adhered to.