General Information: Members of the German Legion Condor serving in Spain during the Civil War were initially equipped with reissued helmets from the First World War.[1] These were painted dark grey or, more typically, the Luftwaffe blue-grey color which was officially introduced on November 4, 1935. The blue-grey color could be in two shades: darker or lighter depending on the manufacturer.[2] The helmets had early versions of the Model 1931 liners with unreinforced aluminum liner bands. Surviving examples had early dates on liner bands.[3] The helmets lacked decals. Unlike most other helmets used in the Spanish Civil War, the German WWI helmets used by the Legion Condor were not used in the postwar period.
Displayed Example: I purchased this helmet from a Spanish collector. He, in turn, bought it from a dealer who told him that it had been found in a Spanish military barracks. The helmet was originally painted Luftwaffe blue and was subsequently painted brown, although most of the brown paint has flaked off. This paint loss is typical of many Spanish Civil War and early postwar era helmets which were often repainted with low quality paint that tended to adhere poorly (see also French Export M26).[4] The maker and size stamps are not quite legible, but we may assume it is a size 68 based on the ink stamp on the rear skirt. This shows the helmet size, 68, and underneath that the liner size, 59-60. The liner band bears a Schuberth-Werke manufacturer’s stamp and a 1936 date. Interestingly, the liner band is stamped size 66 and the liner has a black ink stamp indicating “57.” This is a mismatch with the helmet shell size. The liner was reinstalled at some point in the helmet’s history. This may have been a period done thing as the liner is the correct, rare, early dated, non-reinforced aluminum type which is a characteristic of the Legion Condor M16/18 helmets. The black ink stamp on the helmet skirt showing the helmet size above the liner size may also be a characteristic of the Legion Condor helmets as there is at least one other known example of with the same kind of stamping.[5]
Collector Notes: These helmets are exceedingly rare. There were very few German personnel serving in Spain. A total of approximately 16,000 Germans served in Spain from 1936 to 1939 and there were only approximately 6,500 serving at any given time. Of these, many were had roles like that of technicians, instructors, tank driers, or airmen which would have precluded the need for steel helmets. Troops like guards, antiaircraft or artillery personnel formed a smaller percentage of the total. As the war progressed, Legion Condor soldiers needing helmets were issued the newer M35s (see German Export M35).[6]
[1] Pappini 2016. pp 76
[2] Pappini 2016. pp 85
[3] Based on author observations of surviving examples
[4] Pappini 2016. pp 181
[5] Pappini 2016. pp 79
[6] Pappini 2016. pp 76
Steel Helmets of the World Wars 