Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fantastic all original example of an Imperial German Model 16 Steel helmet, which was refurbished and reissued to the Wehrmacht Heer (army) during WWII. It looks to possibly still have the original paint under the current paint job, and shows loads of history and patina, sure to delight the discerning collector!

This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains about 60% of its original lightly textured "panzergrau" paint, and shows wear from long service. The paint has flaked off the top of the helmet, and somewhat on the sides and inside. It does not look to have been stripped prior to the WWII paint being applied, which is why it may not have adhered correctly.

The left side of the helmet features a very nice Heer eagle decal, which is retained about 90%, with a scratch across the center. It has a lovely yellow color, with some cracking in the enamel that shows the underlying silver color. The other side of the helmet shows what looks to be a National Color decal, now mostly painted over. The use of the second decal was discontinued in 1940, and in 1943 it was ordered that helmets with the national colors have them removed. This helmet may have been repainted a second time, as the decal was not specifically painted over. It is also possible that it may be a WWI era decal! 

We looked for a maker mark, but unfortunately the repaint has made the maker and rolling mill marks impossible to read. We measured it, and it is a size 62cm, a smaller size shell, which can accommodate size 54-55 liners. The helmet still retains both of the extended ventilation side lugs, which are the correct "Long stepped" version for size 62 shells. This would ensure proper installation of a Stirnpanzer brow plate regardless of shell size.

All three original liner retaining pins are intact with most of the original paint worn present. The interior of the helmet still has an original M31 leather liner with all eight fingers still present, showing overall wear from service. The leather is in good shape, with an intact top tie. It has a later war galvanized steel liner band, however the markings are stamped very faintly, so we cannot make out what size it is. The maker marking is also faint, but we can make out the bottom line: Bln.- Ch'burg 5. This indicates production by the metal and leather working company Werner Zahn, based in Berlin - Charlottenburg.

Overall a great WWII Reissued M16 Double Decal Heer Army helmet shell, with loads of patina! German helmets of this quality and history 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, in the spring of 1916. These first modern M16 helmets evolved into the M18 helmets by the end of WWI. At the end of WWI it is estimated that Germany had produced about 8,500,000 steel helmets. As a result of the restrictions placed on the German’s by the Treaty of Versailles, which dictated a standing army of only 100,000 personnel, there was an abundant surplus of these helmets, and though they saw widespread use by Freikorps personnel, there was still a stockpile controlled by the Reichswehr.

These excess helmets underwent minor modifications in 1923 with the addition of provincial identifying shield decals and in 1931 with the development of a new chinstrap and liner system. Although helmet development was ongoing when AH came to power in 1933, the M16 and M18 helmets were still the main headgear worn by the Reichswehr. The helmets remained the same until March 1933 when the provincial shields were discontinued in favour of the national tri-color shield. In 1934 the national eagle shield was introduced, and both the tri-color and eagle shields were applied to the helmets. After the development of the new M35 helmet, the WWI helmets were still issued to second line and training troops well into WWII. The Austrian M16 was almost identical to the German version with the positioning of the chinstrap liner rivets being the most readily identifiable difference.