Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good service used condition all original example of a late war German Model 42 Heer Army "Single Decal" Steel helmet, with some great period wear. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet was painted a late war Panzergrau dark blue gray color, which is retained at about 60%, showing overall wear with some chipping and soiling, as well as some wear through on the top. Definitely a great "salty" example! The left side of the helmet features a Heer eagle decal, which is retained at about 80%, showing overall wear with some loss of the chest area of the eagle.The helmet overall has the fantastic patina that only real wear in the field can give.

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is batch number stamped, 2432 and the interior, left side, apron has a stamped manufacturer's code and size, ET66 indicating that it was manufactured by Eisenhüttenwerk of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany. Size 66 is a rather large 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.

All three original liner retaining pins are present, however the original paint is almost completely worn away, allowing the tops to oxidize. The interior of the helmet still has an original M31 leather liner present, with all 8 fingers still present and fully intact, still retaining the top tie string. The leather is stained and shows wear, but is still supple with no tearing or dry rot. The galvanized steel liner band is marked on the left side with 64 n.A. / 56, indicating that it is a size 56 liner for a size 64 shell. It is also faintly maker marked and dated on the other side, though it is faint:

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

This liner is almost certainly a period replacement, and is not the correct size for the shell. Examination of the split pins however does not show any extra bends, so this liner was fitted during the period, probably late in the war when often the correct size shells were not available.

The chinstrap looks to probably have some with the smaller liner, and is actually early war configured, with and aluminum buckle and attachment studs. The chinstrap is still full length, with all thirteen adjustment holes still present, however it was put over the front brim long ago, and has now dried out and shrunken a bit. This makes it pretty much impossible to unbuckle it at present.

Overall a very nice late-war M42 Single Decal Heer Army helmet, completely correct with a great worn look! M42 helmets of this quality 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.

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.