Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice service worn all original example of a late war German Model 42 Steel helmet, complete with an original liner and chinstrap. It has a fantastic worn patina, which is simply impossible to duplicate. This is a helmet that was "really there". The stamped sheet steel construction shell retains about 75% of the original lightly textured feldgrau (field gray) paint on the exterior, with a lot of period wear. Some areas have the paint completely worn away, and there is some light denting on the crown of the helmet as well, which has removed some of the internal paint.

The left side of the helmet features a Silver Heer Eagle decal, which is retained about 80%, with some wear through near the top, as well as overall wear. However the silver is still bright and reflective, making it a very attractive example.

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is batch number stamped 1611, and the interior, left side, apron has a stamped manufacturer’s code and size, ET62. This indicates it was manufactured by Eisenhüttenwerk AG of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany in size 62. Size 62 is a nice smaller size that can accommodate liners from 54cm to 55cm or US 6 3/4 to 6 7/8.

All three original liner retaining pins are intact and have some of the original paint retained. The interior of the helmet still has an original excellent M31 leather liner with all 8 fingers full intact, as well as the top securing string. The leather is is still quite soft, with a lovely lightly aged look. There is some wear around the edge of the liner, with some minor splitting in the leather. The side of the galvanized steel liner band is marked 62 n.A. / 55, indicating that this is a size 55 liner for a size 62 shell. The manufacture information on the other side is VERY faintly stamped, and unfortunately the date is not legible. It looks to be a Werner Zahn manufactured liner.

The attached chin strap is in very good used condition, with just a bit of stiffness due to age. It has the correct galvanized steel buckle and retaining studs, and is fully functional. There is the expected wear to the finish, and it looks like the stud slots on the longer section needed to be redone at some point.

Overall an very nice service worn M42 Single Decal Heer Army helmet with a great patina! 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 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.