Special Note: It was a dilemma deciding whether to put this helmet in the WWII Axis or the WWII Allied sections. Latvian history during this period is complex. In truth, it belongs in neither section and there should be separate category for helmets from the Baltic republics. To conserve space on my homepage and forContinue reading “Latvian/German M17*”
Tag Archives: German
Finnish/Austrian M17*
General Information: The German WWI style helmets were the main type used by the Finnish army in the 1920s and 30s and through the First Winter War. After this period a surprising variety of other helmets were secured, but the German WWI models continued to be used throughout the war and into the early post-warContinue reading “Finnish/Austrian M17*”
German M42
General Information: In August of 1942 the German Army High Command announced that the inward crimping of the helmet rim was to be abandoned.[1] This presumedly was done to eliminate a step in the manufacturing process in order to increase efficiency and reduce cost. The helmets produced following this order are referred to by collectorsContinue reading “German M42”
Chinese M35
General Information: Why is a Nazi helmet in the World War Two Allied Powers section? It is one of the ironies of the Second World War that the Republic of China was supported by both the Germans and the Allies, although German support wound down after the Second Sino Japanese War in 1937 and endedContinue reading “Chinese M35”
German M18 ECO*
General Information: The Helm mit Ohrenausschnitten or “ear cutout helmet” was a variation of the German Model 1918. It is identical to the standard M18 but for the half-moon curved sections adjacent to the location of the wearer’s ears. The purpose of the cutouts was to improve hearing[1], not as was commonly believed, to accommodateContinue reading “German M18 ECO*”
German M40*
General Information: The German “Model 1940” is a collector term to describe a wartime modified version of the Model 1935. In March of 1940 the German Army issued a bulletin that mandated “helmets of the army will receive a coating of slate-grey paint, the exterior of which will be slightly roughened.” In addition, the bulletinContinue reading “German M40*”
German M17
General Information: The German Model 1917 is identical to the Model 1916 but for one thing; the liner band is metal rather than leather. These were authorized in May of 1917.[1] The chinstrap is the same M91 type used on the M16s and on pickelhaubes, but the chinstrap hardware is more frequently steel or zinc-likeContinue reading “German M17”
FJ M38*
General Information: The Model 1938 helmet was the standard helmet of the German fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) in the Second World War. It was preceded by the now very rare Model 1936 and Model 1937 paratroop models which can be readily identified by the slots in the shell which were intended for a chinstrap configuration. Early M38sContinue reading “FJ M38*”
German M16*
General Information: The German Model 1916 is widely considered to be the best helmet of the First World War in terms of its ability to protect the soldiers from head wounds. The one-piece construction provided a degree of structural integrity lacking in the four-piece French Model 1915 and the chromium-nickel steel composition was a strongContinue reading “German M16*”
German Export M35
General Information: The Eisenhuttenwerke firm in Thale produced 100,000 export versions of the Model 1935 for use in Spain. The helmets were not, as is commonly believed by collectors, left behind by the German Legion Condor; at least the great majority were not. This information came to light as a result of research done byContinue reading “German Export M35”
Steel Helmets of the World Wars 