Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fantastic all original example of a late war German Model 42 Steel helmet, with some great battle damage and a period applied camouflage paint job. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet was most likely original painted textured panzergrau field gray, but then had a camouflage paint job applied, featuring "Ordnance gray", olive brown, as well as a nice green color. This does not conform to any of the standard schemes we usually see, and is very possibly unique.

After the camouflage was applied, it saw further service, resulting in paint loss and oxidation. It also has what looks to be shrapnel damage on the upper right, which left several holes and additional paint damage in that area. If this was from an incendiary round, this could have caused damage to the liner, which may explain why the leather from the liner and the chin strap are completely missing. The helmet does not look to have spend a long time buried or in the mud, so we figure it may have been too damaged to salvage after it took the hit.

In spite of the repaint and damage, the helmet still has a very nice silver Heer Army Eagle decal on the left side of the helmet, retained at about 75%, with portions having been painted over during the camouflage repaint. There is also some scratching in areas, however the silver color is still very well retained. Really a great helmet shell with a fantastic look that only real use in the field can give!

The rear interior of the apron has a stamped manufacturer's code and size: ckl64 over heat lot 0746, indicating it was manufactured by 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. There is also a partial "dome stamp" on the inside of the shell, something we rarely see! The front visor has the name Pienig in red paint on the underside.

All three liner retaining pins are intact, and still have most of the original paint present, with no signs of being replaced. The leather of the liner is completely gone, however the liner band and inner band are still present. The oute galvanized steel liner band is marked 64 n.A / 57, indicating a size 57 liner for a 64 shell. The right side displays the full manufacture information, as well as a date:

The chinstrap is completely missing.

Overall a fantastic late-war M42 Single Decal Heer Army Camouflage helmet shell, completely correct with a lovely patinated 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.

The last wartime upgrade to the standard helmet took place on 6 July 1942 at the request of the Army High Command. The rolled edge found on M1935 and M1940 helmets was discontinued as a measure of economy. On 1 August 1942 the first M1942 helmets were placed into production, and this was the model produced until late in the war, when most factories were captured or stood idle due to material shortages.