Description
Product Description: This Aluminum Heer Parade Helmet is a wonderful object. This is a rare style of German Army helmet to find. These were produced before the war and used primarily for parades. This hard to find helmet has a light weight aluminum shell. The helmet retains nearly all of the early matte green paint inside and out. The metal shows only a few very shallow dents- usually these parade helmets are dented badly because they are only thin aluminum. The original ET style decals both remain approximately 98 percent intact. The Heer eagle and swastika decal shows great silver, with only very minimal age toning, and the colors on the national tricolor shield are bright. Inside, this helmet features a nice leather liner. The liner system is correct for this helmet model, and the leather is intact, with signs of minimal wear, and the name “Dr. Wolf” written in ink. There is a partial drawstring. The original distinctive brown leather chinstrap is still attached to the square rings of the liner. The chinstrap has an early clip style fastening system that remains functional. The size “57” is penciled in the dome of the helmet. This Aluminum Heer Parade Helmet is a very rare helmet in a very rare condition. This one would be extremely difficult to upgrade. It is in outstanding, excellent plus plus condition.
Historical Description: When the German Army first marched into war in 1914, it went to the front lines wearing the traditional “Picklehaube” helmets. The war soon developed to necessitate the need for an improved headgear to protect the wearer. The German Army developed the M16 helmet in 1915 and began issuing it in mass quantity to its fighting troops in 1916. The M16 underwent changes to bring about the next model, the M18. Both the M16 and M18 saw use by the German Army during WW1, as well as the interwar years by the Reichswehr and Freikorps. In 1931, a new liner system was developed. The M16 and M18 helmets were in mass supply right up to the time the Nazi Party took control of the German government. During Adolf Hitler’s rearming of the German military in the early 1930’s, the M16 and M18 helmets saw extensive refitting with the newer liner system, fresh paint, and the addition of a centralized decal system for the newly formed Wehrmacht’s respective branches. Decals were generally placed on each side of the helmet, one side being the branch and the other the national colors shield or party shield. In 1935, the M35 helmet was introduced. This new design was lighter and more streamlined than the older style helmets and is what the world now recognizes as the iconic helmet of the German Military. M35 helmets can most easily be identified from the separate rivet ventholes and rolled edges. With the outbreak of war, some changes were made to bring in a new model, the M40. The changes made to this new model was the use of a more matte field grey finish and the vent holes were now integral to the helmets shell. In 1940, the national colors decals and party shields were ordered to be removed. It should be noted that many M35 helmets were brought up to date by repainting them with the matte field grey finish and/or other modifications if necessary. These refitted helmets are what collectors now term “reissue helmets”. The next model helmet to evolve was the M42. The model M42 has the same features of the M40 with the exception of the edges of the helmet not being rolled and remain flared. This was to speed up production and lower cost as the war dragged on and the German economy began changing to a total war economy. In 1943 all decals were ordered to be removed from combat helmets.
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