Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition all original example of a late war German Model 42 Heer Army "Single Decal" Steel helmet, with some great period wear. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet was painted a late war lightly textured Panzergrau dark blue gray color, which is well-retained, showing overall wear and scrapes consistent with use in service. There is now some oxidation where the paint has been lost, which is typical. The left side of the helmet features a Heer eagle decal, which is worn, and looks to possibly have been "sanitized" by cleaning away the area where the swas (hook cross) was. We can definitely see that it is a Heer eagle, but it is probably retained at only about 50%. The helmet overall has the fantastic patina that only real wear in the field can give.

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is batch number stamped 2271, and the interior, left side, apron has a stamped manufacturer's code and size, [E.]F.6[6] indicating that indicating it was manufactured by Emaillierwerke AG, of Fulda Germany in size 66. The stamp was not struck well, but the gothic "F" is definitive for this maker, and the size was confirmed through measurement. This is a nice large size that can accommodate size 58cm and 59cm liners, or 7 1/4 - 7 3/8 US. Shells of this large size are harder to find, and more valuable to a collector.

All three original liner retaining pins are intact, showing some paint loss and oxidation similar to the rest of the shell, and the interior of the helmet still has an original very good condition M31 leather liner with all eight fingers fully intact. The original liner top tie is present and intact as well, and the leather is soft and supple, with just a bit of wear and splitting over the rim. There is even a size (59) stamped in a circle on one of the fingers! The mid war issue galvanized steel liner band is marked on the left outer side with 66 n.A. / 59, indicating that the liner is a size 59, intended for a 66 shell. It is also maker marked and dated on the other side:

Metallwarenfabrik
1941
F.W.M.

This indicates 1941 production by F.W. Müller Jr. in Berlin, which fits right into the period. The original chinstrap is intact and unbroken, with the correct steel hardware, however the excess on the end of the chinstrap was trimmed down, a common practice at the time. It still retains 10 of the original 13 adjustment holes.

Overall a very nice late-war M42 Single Decal Heer Army helmet, completely correct with a lovely service worn look! 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 Stahlhelm:
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.

The last wartime upgrade to the standard helmet took place on 6 July 1942 at the request of the Army High Command. The rolled edge found on M1935 and M1940 helmets was discontinued as a measure of economy. On 1 August 1942 the first M1942 helmets were placed into production, and this was the model produced until late in the war, when most factories were captured or stood idle due to material shortages.