Original Item: Only One Available. This is an incredible Original Named "Pea Dot" Camouflage example of a German WWII M35 helmet, as issued to the Heer (Army). The exterior was field repainted on the exterior during the war with a Brick Red, Green, and Feldgrau (Field Gray) pattern, very similar to the 1944 Erbsenmuster (Pea Pattern) camouflage, which looks great! We can also see an area on the left side where there was clearly a decal at one point, now overpainted with camouflage. Original camo paint helmets are highly desirable, and this helmet would definitely make a worth addition to any German helmet collection.

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is batch number stamped 4506, and the interior, left side, apron has a stamped manufacturer's code and size, E.F.66 indicating that indicating it was manufactured by Emaillierwerke AG, of Fulda Germany in size 66. 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.

At the back of the apron the helmet is named in white paint to a O.Gefr. Kiesler, the soldier it was issued to. Obergefreiter (Senior "Exempted") is a German Heer (Army) enlisted rank equivalent to a U.S. Army Corporal rank.

All three liner retaining pins are intact, and fully retain the camouflage paint. The interior of the helmet still has the original M31 leather liner with all eight of its fingers intact, and the original top tie. The leather is still quite soft, though it is now somewhat darker in color, especially around the rim. There is some wear and tearing around the edges, which is very common. The mid-war Galvanized steel liner band is marked on the left side with 66 n.A / 59, indicating that it is a size 59 liner for a size 66 shell. There is also a clear 59 stamp on the leather. The right side displays the full manufacture information, as well as a date:

This liner was made by Biedermann & Czarnikow, a German company who later moved operations to Łódź in occupied Poland to take advantage of the slave labor in the ghetto located there. NSDAP authorities renamed Łódź to Litzmannstadt in honor of the German General Karl Litzmann who had captured the city in the previous World War. 

Attached to the liner is an original chin strap, with the correct aluminum studs and buckle found on early issue chin straps. It is maker marked MAURY & Co. / FENBACH A/M / 1938 on the long end, and is still in good condition. It does show wear, and some cracking, but no major tears.

Overall a very nice 100% genuine M35 Named Heer "Pea Dot" camouflage helmet with loads of history and great markings! It looks great, and all components are correct! 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.

More than 1 million M1935 helmets were manufactured in the first two years after its introduction, and millions more were produced until 1940 when the basic design and production methods were changed.