Original Item: One of a Kind. During the Spanish Civil war of 1936-1939, NSDAP Germany and Fascist Italy provided quite a bit of support to the Nationalist forces under General Francisco Franco, who would subsequently rule Spain as a dictator from 1939 to 1975. Germany in particular provided arms, and both Germany and Italy provided troops who fought on the Nationalist side. Many have called the Spanish Civil war the "Dress Rehearsal for WWII", as many of the strategies used during WWII were initially developed at this time.

Germany continued to supply Military support to Spain after the Nationalist forces were victorious, and also supplied arms to many satellite states during WWII. Helmet designs were another thing that were exported, with Hungary basing their M38 helmet heavily on the German M35, and Finland receiving Imperial German and M35 helmets as war aid against Soviet forces. At the time, Spain was still using their earlier M21 and M26 helmets, which left much to be desired in terms of protective coverage as well as comfort. They elected to work with Germany to develop a new helmet, the M42, which would use into the 1970s, with a new liner system being devised in 1979 made from canvas and leather. The original liner system was very similar to the German WWI style three panel liner, though there are no pads behind the panels, as was used with the M26 helmet.

What we have here is a prototype Model 41 Spanish helmet, made in Germany during WWII. It is a bit different than the eventual Model 42 adopted, and has a rolled rim as well as a more sloped rear skirt. It combines design elements of the classic German Stahlhelm, with some from the Spanish M26 lineage of helmets. It has two vents, though they are closer to the rear of the helmet than the usual German helmet, and it has the 8 rivets around the circumference to attach the liner to the shell. There is also the correct badge holder on the front of the helmet, a hallmark of Spanish helmets. It is definitely lighter gauge steel, weighing in at about 2.2lbs, compared to around 3lbs for a German M40 helmet of similar size.

The left side inner apron has the stamped manufacturer's code and size, ET64 indicating that it was manufactured by Eisenhüttenwerk of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany. This company was responsible for many of the helmet designs and advances in technology in Germany during the first half of the 20th century, and were the obvious choice to work with Francoist Spain to work with when designing their helmet.

Condition of the helmets is very good, with the original dark olive green paint very well retained. The exterior shows some scuffing and chips from storage and transportation, while the interior is in better shape, showing little to no wear. As a prototype we do not expect that this helmet saw any real service, and the liner shows very little wear, and none of the staining we would expect had it been worn for a long period of time. The leather has matured to a lovely light chestnut color, and is still relatively supple. The felt padding behind the liner panels does have some mothing, and is in somewhat delicate condition. The chinstrap is in great shape, though it is made of relatively thin leather.

A lovely example of a VERY scarce helmet, the only one we have ever seen, and most likely will never see again! A real piece of European military history.

The Spanish M1942 Helmet (Also known as the “Modelo Z” and simply M42) is a military steel combat helmet used by Spain from its adoption in 1942 to its replacement by a Spanish M1 copy in the 1980s.

Based on the M35 (M40) Stahlhelm used by NSDAP Germany, the M42 was of markedly lower quality, made of thinner and lower quality steel. This made it prone to dents and damage. Featuring ventilation holes with stamped rims much like the German M40, and a raw edge like the M42 without the slight flaring characteristic of the German model. The liner was similar to that of the previous M26 and M21 helmets, with three leather pads attached around a leather band around the shell. The liner is attached to the shell by means of seven rivets that include the linking of the two piece chin strap to the shell. The shell was painted a plain green color, and distinctive of Spanish helmets features a bracket on the front for the optional attachment of insignia for parades and other ceremonies. The Spanish Civil Guard used the same model helmet only it was painted grey instead of green and featured its own special emblem to be placed on the bracket when the need arose. Later in its military career the M42 would receive a simple khaki green cover for use by the Army, and later in a reversible cover with camouflage patterns unique to Spain known as “Amoeba.” 1979 would see most M42's modernized with a new liner and chin strap known as the M42/79, the liner being made of a combination of leather and canvas with the chin strap being just canvas.