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, (Iron and Foundry Works), AG Thale/Harz, 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 an effort to reduced construction time and labor costs minor modifications were introduced in March 1940 resulting in the M40 helmet. Further construction modifications were undertaken in August 1942 resulting in the M42 helmet. Originally the Third Reich national tri-color helmet decal was introduced on March 14^TH 1933 for wear on the left side of the helmet to replace the Reichswehr era state shield insignia. Regulations of February 17^TH 1934 introduced the Wehrmacht, (Armed Forces), eagle decal and 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.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains about 75% of it’s slightly rough textured, age darkened, field-grey, period applied, over-paint with numerous small scrapes and scuffs to the base metal with light to moderate surface spotting. The left side of the helmet has remnants of a Wehrmacht eagle decal. All three of the liner retaining rivets are intact. The interior of the helmet still retains most of it’s original, smooth finish, field-grey paint. The interior of the helmet has a heavily age and usage darkened, M31 grained, tan leather liner with six of the original eight fingers and the original tie string intact. Two of the fingers have torn away from the liner but the torn away sections are still secured to the liner tie string, and an additional two fingers have a couple of small tears. The liner has aged to a dark brown shade and shows moderate to heavy chafe wear to the bottom edge, resulting in a few small tears. The liner is well marked with a faint, blurred, illegible, black size inkstamp. The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is well marked with a stamped, serial number,"DN331", and the manufacturer’s code and size stamp, "Q64", indicating manufacture by F.W. Quist, G.m.b.H. Esslingen, size 64. Of Note: The placement of the manufacturer’s code and size on the reverse, interior, neck guard apron indicates manufacture after mid-1943. The helmet comes complete with a shortened, blackened leather chinstrap with a pronged, natural aluminum alloy, fit adjustment buckle and both natural aluminum alloy retaining studs intact. The chinstrap shows moderate chafe wear and has thinned and stretched from use but is still quite pliable. The chinstrap has no visible manufacturer’s markings. The shortened chinstrap is still long enough to be folded over the front visor and buckled.