H000460 AUSTRIAN M16 TRANSITIONAL SINGLE DECAL HELMET. (Österreich Stahlhelm M16)

BACKGROUND: 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, in the spring of 1916. These first modern M16 helmets evolved into the M18 helmets by the end of WWI. At the end of WWI it is estimated that Germany had produced about 8,500,000 steel helmets. As a result of the restrictions placed on the German’s by the Treaty of Versailles, which dictated a standing army of only 100,000 personnel, there was an abundant surplus of these helmets and though they saw widespread use by Freikorps (Free Corps/Independent Paramilitary), personnel, there was still a stockpile controlled by the Reichswehr, (National Defence {Force}), (Circa 1919-1933). These excess helmets underwent minor modifications in 1923 with the addition of provincial identifying shield decals and in 1931 with the development of a new chinstrap and liner system. Although helmet development was ongoing when Hitler came to power in 1933, the M16 and M18 helmets were still the main headgear worn by the Reichswehr. The helmets remained the same until March 14^TH 1933 when the provincial shields were discontinued in favour of the national tri-color shield. On February 17^TH 1934 the national eagle shield was introduced, and both the tri-color and eagle shields were applied to the helmets. Of Note: Originally the Third Reich national tri-color helmet decal was worn on the left side of the helmet when it replaced the Reichswehr era state shield insignia. With the introduction of Wehrmacht, (Armed Forces), eagle decal the national tri-color decal was shifted to the right side of the helmet with the Wehrmacht eagle decal positioned on the left hand side. Regulations of March 21^ST 1940 dictated that the national tri-color decal was to be removed from all helmets and further regulations of August 28^TH 1943 abolished the Wehrmacht eagle decal and dictated that it was also to be removed from all helmets although the directives were not completely adhered to. After the development of the new M35 helmet, in June 1935, the WWI helmets were still issued to second line and training troops well into WWII. Developed in 1916 the Austrian M16 helmet was almost identical to the German version with the positioning of the chinstrap liner rivets being the most readily identifiable difference. Of Note: Having been born in Austria the union of the two countries was a cornerstone in Hitler’s foreign policy that was expressly forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. Although the Germans and Austrians had signed an agreement that had guaranteed Austrian independence from Germany, on July 11^TH 1936, Hitler was determined to absorb Austria into his realm and loyal Nazis within Austria did their best to disrupt the Austrian government. On February 12^TH 1938 Hitler met with the Austrian Chancellor Doctor Kurt von Schuschnigg at Berchtesgaden where Hitler launched into a tirade concerning what he viewed as the Austrian problem and demanded a resolution or threatened that Austria would feel the German’s wrath by an armed invasion. The brow-beat Schuschnigg signed a new agreement with Hitler but intrigued to escape it by holding an Austrian plebiscite for the political union of the two German states, dated March 13^TH 1938, in the hopes that the Austrian people would vote against the union therefore preserving Austrian independence. At the last minute with threats from Germany, the Austrian plebiscite vote was cancelled, and German troops moved in and occupied Austria. After the German’s were established in Austria, a German sponsored plebiscite was held in which the Austrians voted with overwhelming support for the union.

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