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. The M16 and M18 helmets remained in usage through-out the Weimar Reichswehr era and on into the Third Reich. In 1931 the German’s developed a new helmet liner system that included a two piece leather chinstrap with steel or alloy fittings. Of Note: In June 1935 the Germans introduced the new, smaller, lighter M35 style helmet and 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. When issued all the helmets came equipped with the two piece leather chinstrap to secure the helmet in place.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Two piece, blackened leather construction helmet chinstrap with matte grey painted steel fittings. Both of the straps are roughly, 5/8" wide with the longer strap being roughly, 17 1/8" long, while the shorter strap is roughly, 3" long with a small section torn off one end. One end of the shorter strap is folded back on itself and machine stitched down to secure the matte grey painted, pronged, steel, length adjustment buckle while one end of the longer strap has thirteen, corresponding, punched, buckle eyelets. The other ends of both of the straps have dual, cut-out, tear dropped shaped, stud retaining eyelets to secure it to the helmet. Both of the steel retaining studs are intact. The buckle and studs only retain remnants of their matte grey paint and show moderate to heavy surface spotting. The reverse of the straps are in the natural tan of the leather and the longer strap is well marked with a faint, stamped, RB number and the date, "44". Of Note: The RB numbers, Reichsbetriebnummer, (National factory code numbers), were introduced in late 1942 and were intended to replace the manufacturers marks on garments and equipment to conceal the manufactures name and location from the allies, to prevent bombing raids on German industrial factories. The chinstrap is in overall fair condition with some minor surface cracking and chafe wear and the leather has stiffened with age.

GRADE ***                             PRICE $192.00