Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great service used all original example of a Model 1942 German WWII helmet with a single Luftwaffe Eagle decal and damaged size 58cm liner. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet still retains much of the original lightly textured Luftwaffe Fliegerblau (flyer's blue) paint, which utilized aluminum oxide as a texturing agent. There is scuffing to the paint and some worked in dirt, particularly on the top of the helmet where the paint is completely worn away and the steel rusted, but there is no major damage out of line with wear from service.

This helmet was acquired by a USGI, who then decorated the exterior in white paint with the following message:

V. E. DAY
MAY 8.-1945
Deutschland.

Around the perimeter of the helmet are the various countries visited during the decorator's service:

Scotland, England, Wales, France, Switzerland, Germany.

The interior paint is well retained, with just a bit of oxidation in areas, particularly around the lower rim, and where the paint was scratched away. The original Luftwaffe eagle decal on the exterior is still retained at bout 80%, showing a lovely aged toned color and just a bit of wear. This is really a lovely looking decal, and we rarely see them this good! Really a lovely helmet with a fantastic "been there" look and a nice decal, decorated and brought back home by a USGI!

The reverse, interior, neck guard does show some markings, but unfortunately the area was painted over at one time, making the maker, size, and lot codes impossible to read. We measured the outside of the shell, and it is about 67cm, indicating a size 66cm shell, which is confirmed by the liner markings. Size 66 is a nice larger size that can accommodate liners from 58cm to 59cm or US 7 1/4 to 7 5/8. Size 66 shells are harder to find and are therefore more valuable to a collector.

All three liner retaining pins are intact, with most of their original paint present as well. The interior of the helmet still has an original M31 leather liner however half of the fingers are torn away, and the leather is definitely in delicate condition. The top tie is present, still attached to the sections of leather that have torn off. The left side exterior of the galvanized steel liner band is marked 66 n.A / 58, indicating that it is a size 58 liner for a size 66 shell. The right side displays the full manufacture information, as well as a date, though it is a bit faint:

Metall-Lederverarbeitung W.Z.
1943
Bln.- Ch'burg 5

This indicates production by the metal and leather working company Werner Zahn, based in Berlin - Charlottenburg, in the year 1943, which fits right into the late war time period. There is still a partial chinstrap present, which is missing more than half of the longer portion. It is the correct later war type with steel hardware.

Overall a lovely service used condition genuine M42 Single Decal Luftwaffe helmet, with some fantastic USGI decorations! 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.