Original Item: Only One Available. This is an especially interesting original Imperial German WWI Model 1918 steel helmet that was refurbished and reissued for service with the German Heer during WWII. The helmet retains a wartime textured gray finish, a partially preserved single Heer eagle decal, traces of its earlier double-decal configuration, and a 1940-dated M31 liner.

The helmet began its service life as a WWI M18 and was later repainted and modified for continued use by the German military. It appears to have first been refurbished during the transitional period with a double-decal configuration. A later arsenal or field repaint covered both earlier decals with a rough-textured Panzergrau finish, after which a single Heer eagle was applied to the left side. The later finish now shows extensive wear and flaking, exposing traces of the earlier decal on the right side and possible remnants beneath the surviving eagle. Other original M18 reissue helmets are known with rough wartime paint applied directly over earlier Heer and national tricolor decals.

The Heer eagle decal is approximately 60 percent retained. Large sections have chipped or flaked away, but the remaining silver eagle is still readily identifiable and displays well against the worn gray finish.

The shell is stamped:

E.T. 64

This identifies manufacture by Eisenhüttenwerke Thale A.G. of Thale am Harz. The size 64 shell is a desirable medium-large size.

A rolling mill or steel supplier marking is also stamped into the interior crown:

S 4 6 N

The precise meaning of this marking has not been identified.

Both original extended ventilation lugs remain present. They have the stepped form appropriate for a size 64 shell, allowing the standard Stirnpanzer brow plate to sit at the correct distance from the helmet regardless of shell size. The heavy armored brow plate was produced during WWI for limited defensive use but proved too cumbersome for general issue.

All three liner-retaining split pins remain installed and retain original paint on their exterior heads. The liner is an M31 leather type fitted to a galvanized steel band.

The left side of the liner band is marked:

62 n.A. / 54

This denotes a Size 54 liner assembly intended for a Size 62 helmet shell. It is therefore undersized for this ET64 shell and leaves a noticeable gap between portions of the liner band and the helmet. The liner was most likely installed as a wartime or later replacement rather than being the correctly sized assembly originally fitted during refurbishment.

The opposite side of the liner band is marked:

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

The 1940 date establishes the liner’s wartime manufacture and is consistent with the helmet’s later single-decal reissue configuration.

The leather liner retains all eight fingers and remains in generally good condition. It has developed an attractive chestnut-brown color, with expected surface wear, dryness, staining, and splitting where the leather folds over the liner band. The original crown tie remains present but is heavily deteriorated and nearly torn through in places.

A chinstrap is fitted to the liner and remains substantially complete. It is not the standard German WWII helmet pattern and appears to have been adapted from another type of strap, possibly during later wartime service or postwar use. Its exact origin is unknown.

The exterior shows substantial service wear, including paint loss, flaking, scratches, oxidation, and exposed earlier finish. The interior also shows age and wear but remains solid. The multiple layers of paint, partially exposed decals, mismatched wartime liner, and adapted chinstrap give the helmet a particularly compelling history of continued use and repeated refurbishment.

This is a beautiful and highly characterful example of a WWI M18 helmet reissued by the Heer during WWII. The ET64 shell, stepped ventilation lugs, traces of an earlier double-decal configuration, worn single Heer eagle, 1940-dated liner, and untouched service appearance make it a fascinating helmet for further study and display.