Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent all original example of a late war German Model 42 Steel helmet, which was "Shot Through" long ago, almost certainly killing the wearer. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains about 40% of its original paint, but definitely spent a lot of time either laying on the battlefield or in the elements, as the entire helmet is heavily oxidized, with no remnants of the leather liner or chinstrap retained, although the full liner band and chinstrap bales are retained. This has given the helmet a really solid patina.

This helmet is for the Wehrmacht, the general term for the German armed forces, as it does not have any decals to identify any particular unit. More than likely near the end of the war, making sure a decal was present was not considered overly important. This is a very nice example of the M42 helmet, with some great authentic battle damage.

There is a large shrapnel hole in the forehead of the helmet, which has oxidized concurrently with the rest of the helmet, meaning this is certainly period damage. The angle is also correct for shrapnel damage which would have come from above. 

The rear interior of the apron has a stamped manufacturer's code and size: ckl (Size illegible), indicating it was manufactured by Eisenhüttenwerk AG of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany. The maker code is quite hard to read due to the condition of the shell. 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. The lot number contains an 11 but is otherwise illegible from oxidation. The shell measures a size 64.

Overall a very nice late-war German M42 Wehrmacht "No decal" helmet which was shot through in combat! 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 was given by collectors.

In 1942, Due to wartime demands, the M-42 design was put into production because it was significantly quicker to manufacture. The rolled edge of the M-35 shell was eliminated, creating an unfinished edge along the rim. This edge flared out slightly, along the base of the skirt. The elimination of the rolled edge expedited the manufacturing process and reduced the amount of metal used in each helmet, without sacrificing protection.