Original Item: Only One Available. This is definitely a German helmet shell that has some stories to tell! We were told that this helmet shell was dug up in the Courland Pocket area, but we have no provenance or documentation to support this unfortunately. It was cleaned to remove loose dirt, but we do not know if any other methods of preservation were used.

The Courland Pocket was a pocket located on the Courland Peninsula (Kurland in German) in Latvia on the Eastern Front of World War II from 9 October 1944 to 10 May 1945. Army Group North of the Wehrmacht were surrounded in western Latvia by the Red Army after the Baltic Offensive, when forces of the 1st Baltic Front reached the Baltic Sea near Memel (Klaipėda) after the collapse of Army Group Centre during Operation Bagration. Army Group North retreated to the Courland Pocket and was renamed Army Group Courland on 25 January, holding off six Red Army offensives until the German Instrument of Surrender was signed on 8 May 1945. Army Group Courland were in a communication "blackout" and did not get the official order until 10 May, becoming one of the last German groups to surrender in Europe.

Here we have a great M42 Heer Army Single Decal helmet shell, offered in "battlefield dug" condition, with significant oxidation and paint loss from being under the ground for a long period of time. There are rust concretions on the both the interior and exterior, and there are also the oxidized remnants of a liner still present on the interior of the helmet. We can see that the original paint is still partly retained in areas, however most has bubbled up from oxidation of the shell. There is actually still a clear Heer closed-wing silver eagle decal on the left side, which is retained at probably 60%, showing overall wear and bubbling from oxidation.

The helmet shell is still mostly sound, with no holes, cracks, or other major structural damage except for a bend in the front visor. We have measured the outside around the liner attachment pins, and got a measurement of just under 68, so this is a 66cm shell. The original maker and size markings have been completely obliterated by rust. Please consult the pictures for the fine details of the current state of the helmet shell.

Overall a very interesting genuine "Battlefield Dug Up" Heer Army M42 Single Decal helmet Shell! A fantastic display piece!

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.