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. The M35 had an inserted ventilation bushing positioned on each side of the helmet and a rolled bottom edge while the M40 eliminated the bushings and replaced them by stamping the ventilation eyelets directly into the helmet, although it still retained the rolled bottom edge. Further construction modifications were undertaken in August 1942 resulting in the M42 helmet. The M42 retained the stamped ventilation eyelets as found on the M40 helmets but eliminated the bottom, rolled edge. 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. Of Note: Late in WWI, (July 1918), the Germans had issued a directive which clearly laid out camouflage paint colors and the pattern that was to be applied to all helmets in the field. The directive also included the amounts of paint that 1,000 helmets would require as five kilograms, (11Lbs), each of, green, ochre yellow and rust brown, and two kilograms, (4.4 Lbs), of black paint. Interestingly this WWI directive appears to have been generally ignored in WWII and although some camouflage paints were issued to units in the field, including white wash for winter camouflage and tan paints for the North African campaign, the individual soldier was generally left to procure and decide on the camouflage paint and design to be applied to his helmet on his own. These efforts led to a wide variety of assorted, unofficial, colored camouflage paints and patterns being utilized through-out the war. Also Of Note: None of our reference material has any official regulations concerning the use of camouflage helmet paints although it is hard to imagine that some regulations, especially in regards to winter and tropical camouflage were not issued.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The stamped, sheet steel, construction helmet appears to retain about 90% of it’s lightly applied, smooth finish camouflage over-paint in random splotches of tan, olive drab, green and brown with numerous small scrapes and scuffs revealing the base steel with light surface spotting. The scuffs and scrapes blend in well with the camouflage paint. Large sections of the helmet have not been over-painted and retain the original, smooth, parade green paint. Very small spots of the Wehrmacht eagle decal are just faintly visible on the left side of the helmet. All three liner retaining rivets and both inserted ventilation bushings are all intact. The interior of the helmet still retains about 95% of it’s original, smooth, parade green paint with a couple of small scrapes and scuffs and the interior crown of the helmet has a faint, illegible, black, oval, Beschaffungsamt, (Procurement Office), inkstamp. The interior of the helmet has an M31, tan leather, liner with all of eight of it’s fingers and a the original tie string intact. The liner shows light chafe wear to the bottom edges, light age and usage toning and what appears to be some minor some moisture spotting. The aluminum liner retaining band is slightly bent. The liner is well marked with a black size inkstamp, "55". The interior reverse neck guard apron is well marked with a stamped serial number, "1860" and the interior left side apron is stamped with the manufacturer’s code and size, "Q62" indicating manufacture by F.W. Quist, G.m.b.H. Esslingen, size 62. The helmet comes complete with a replaced, make-shift age and usage darkened, brown leather chinstrap with a pronged, natural aluminum alloy, length adjustment, buckle and both aluminum retaining studs intact. The shorter buckle section of the chinstrap appears to be original while the longer section has been replaced with what appears to be some type of equipment strap. The long, chin/equipment strap has fourteen, larger then normal buckle eyelets and appears to have been shortened. The chinstrap shows light to moderate chafe wear and some minor surface cracking. Attractive, field camouflaged helmet.