Original Item: Only One Available. This is a nice service used all original example Model 1940 German WWII helmet with a single Luftwaffe Eagle decal and size 57cm liner. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet was originally painted with smooth Luftwaffe Fliegerblau (flyer's blue) paint, but during the war was overpainted with textured paint in the same color. The interior still has the original paint, and the decal was covered during the painting, so it was preserved. It still retains much of the textured paint, with areas chipped away, showing both the original paint as well as oxidation to the steel shell.

Examination of the crown shows two linear cracks in the shell, spaced about 4 inches apart and running almost parallel. We do not see any type of damage that would indicate a heavy blow or other type of pressure, so these may be from original manufacture or age. The stamping process that made the helmets left a lot of stress in the steel, so they could crack years after production.

The decal is retained at about 75%, showing overall wear and degradation consistent with long service. It shows a lot of small cracks and checking consistent with great age, and really has a fantastic look!

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is serial number stamped DN261 and the interior, left side, apron has the stamped manufacturer's code and size, Q64 indicating that it was manufactured by F.W. Quist G.m.b.H. in the German city of Esslingen. Size 64 is a nice smaller size that can accommodate liners from 56cm to 57cm or US 7 to 7 1/8. Size 64 shells are harder to find and are therefore more valuable to a collector.

All three original liner retaining pins are intact and in good condition, retaining almost all of the textured overpaint, which shows they were installed when the helmet was repainted. The interior of the helmet still has its original leather liner with all 8 fingers mostly intact, with a replacement top tie string. The leather shows wear and staining from use, with some splitting around the rim, but overall the leather is still supple. The ends of two fingers tore through, so the replacement string is threaded through the vent holes. The outer side of the galvanized steel liner band over the left ear is marked 64 n.A / 57, indicating that this is a size 57 liner for a size 64 shell. The right side displays the manufacturer information, which is unfortunately illegible due to oxidation and dirt, however we can make out a 1942 date. The chinstrap is unfortunately completely missing.

Overall an very nice service used condition genuine M40 Single Decal Luftwaffe helmet, with a patina that is impossible to duplicate! 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.