Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely example of a WWI M18 helmet, which was converted for use by the Third Reich in the 1930s before the widespread issue of the M1935 helmet. This would involve repainting, and the helmet was then fitted with a pre-war M-31 Leather liner, with the correct WWII pattern split pins. This example looks to have been in service for some time, and was probably originally finished in WWII early war Apfel-grün (Apple Green). After that it saw long use, and was repainted for a second time with lightly textured wartime Panzergrau (armor gray), and had a single Heer Army silver eagle decal affixed. It may have had two decals originally, but there is no remaining evidence that it ever had a second decal. It shows wear and discoloration to the textured finish, but no major damage. The Heer Eagle decal is retained at about 90%, showing only light wear, and overall the helmet has a great "been there" look.

The shell is stamped E.T. 66. indicating that Eisenhüttenwerke Thale A.G., in Thale /Harz manufactured it. This company made shells in sizes 60 - 68 for the war effort. Size 66 is a nice large size that can accommodate liners from 58cm to 59cm or US 7 1/4 to 7 3/8. Size 66 shells are harder to find and are therefore more valuable to a collector. The inside crown has several layers of paint present, and even though we checked thoroughly, we were not able to see any legible rolling mill stamp. It retains both of the extended ventilation side lugs, which are the correct short version without a step for the larger size 66 shell. This would ensure proper installation of a Stirnpanzer brow plate regardless of shell size.

All three original liner retaining pins are intact and have most of the panzergrau paint on the ends. The interior of the helmet still has an original M31 leather liner with all eight fingers present, however the leather is definitely degraded. It shows tears and splitting, as well as a good amount of dry rot, and looks to have seen a good amount of use in service. The liner band is aluminum, with square aluminum chin strap loops attached to reinforced sides. This is the last pattern before the move to galvanized steel bands, as aluminum was scarce. The left exterior liner band over the left ear is marked 66 n.A / 58, indicating that this is a size 58 liner for a size 66 shell. The other side is too close to the shell to read, so we cannot see any of the maker markings. There is part of a chinstrap installed on the right loop, but it is not a German WWII style example.

A beautiful, solid example of WWII Heer Army Reissued Single Decal M18 helmet and a great worn look! Comes ready to research and display!

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, in the spring of 1916. These first modern M16 helmets evolved into the M18 helmets by the end of WWI. At the end of WWI it is estimated that Germany had produced about 8,500,000 steel helmets. As a result of the restrictions placed on the German’s by the Treaty of Versailles, which dictated a standing army of only 100,000 personnel, there was an abundant surplus of these helmets, and though they saw widespread use by Freikorps personnel, there was still a stockpile controlled by the Reichswehr.

These excess helmets underwent minor modifications in 1923 with the addition of provincial identifying shield decals and in 1931 with the development of a new chinstrap and liner system. Although helmet development was ongoing when AH came to power in 1933, the M16 and M18 helmets were still the main headgear worn by the Reichswehr. The helmets remained the same until March 1933 when the provincial shields were discontinued in favour of the national tri-color shield. In 1934 the national eagle shield was introduced, and both the tri-color and eagle shields were applied to the helmets. After the development of the new M35 helmet, the WWI helmets were still issued to second line and training troops well into WWII. The Austrian M16 was almost identical to the German version with the positioning of the chinstrap liner rivets being the most readily identifiable difference.