1944 production M42 made my Eisenhuttenwerke More Helmets for an Expanding War4315: The History of the German Steel Helmet 1916-1945 by Ludwig Baer Note: We picked up another copy of this book. It was part of the ' Black Reichswehr ' and in the late days of the Weimar Republic operated as the paramilitary. Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten (German, 'The Steel Helmet, League of Front-Line Soldiers'), commonly known as Der Stahlhelm ('The Steel Helmet'), was a German First World War veteran 's organisation existing from 1918 to 1935.
The M35, M40 and M42. In truth according to the German high command there was only one model, the Model 35, so called because the first years of production was in 1935. While the M42 with it’s simplified raw edge maybe not have been as flashy as it’s predecessors the helmet still did the trick, and protected German soldiers from Kursk to the fall of Berlin.The German helmet of World War II is often broken down for distinction in three different models. The M42 ended an era that started in 1916 with the first German helmet. And is in overall the same condition.The M42 was the last generation of German combat steel helmets.
Part of this was due to the decision to sell over 220,000 brand newly produced M35 helmets to the Nationalist Chinese government between 19, not to mention smaller numbers of helmets being sent to Spain and Finland. The shortage was also due to the fact that the Germany military was going though massive growth during the same time frame. In addition on February 2nd of 1940 the German military ordered that all German armored troops be issued helmets, where as before that date they were not issued one. The History of the German Steel Helmet, 1916-1945 has 1 available editions to buy at Half Price Books MarketplaceThe German military had been experiencing helmet shortage since the 1930s. The reasons for these modification were the result of a massively expanding war that required helmets as quickly as the factories could turn them out.The History of the German Steel Helmet, 1916-1945 by Ludwig Baer starting at 175.00. The reason for this is simply because the German military did not consider the later two versions to be new models, just modifications of the original design.
With the Invasion of the Soviet Union in June of 1941, not to mention campaigns in North Africa and the Balkans more helmets were going to be needed quickly. And South America and was becoming unavailable for German purchase.While the embossed air vents would allow for faster helmet production it would not suffice for long. The prior to used Molybdenum steel would no longer be used as 90% of the worlds molybdenite needed to manufacture the steel was in the U.S.A. The air vents on both sides of the helmet would be embossed into the steel instead of being a separate piece peened into place. The steel would change as well to heavier manganese-silicon steel.
Due to the rapid production method the skirts of these helmets are often found with rippled stress marks. The raw edge of the skirt on the M42 helmetWhile the new heat stamping method would allow for a faster production of helmets it did have it’s draw backs. The method of manufacture would change as well. The original method of slow press forming in combination with over-heated tempering which had to be done in multiply steps was changed to a rapid hot-stamping method which could produced the helmet in four short steps. As an economic measure the helmet’s rolled edge would be discontinued in favor of a raw edge.
An example of the skirt on a M42 helmet with blemishes caused by impurities in the steel. Thus the extra steps necessary to produce finer steel for helmets was abandoned. These blemishes are caused by impurities in the steel, in years past these impurities were removed during the refining process. This was both an added cost and aside it slowed the manufacture process down. M42s however are often encountered with rough seemingly unfinished steel. Due to this fact M42 helmet were frequently made from poorer quality steel than their predecessors. M35 and M40 helmets almost always exhibit smooth steel free blemishes.
Not surprising most of these men and women had poor training, few had any background in metal work, and naturally had little true motivation to produce a quality product. Emaillerwerke AG, Fulda used both Russian men and women drawn from a near by slave labor camp. This maybe due to the use of slave labor by both of these factories. Surviving records show Vereinigte Deutsche Nickelwerke AG, Schwerte utilized both French POWs as well as Russian women forcible removed from the occupied parts of the Soviet Union as slave labor.
Later production M42s especially from Eisenhuttenwerke are often found with very thin paint often of a much darker shade of slate gray, this was certainly a war-time economy measure. Early in the production of M42 helmets a large number of blue-gray Luftwaffe helmets were made. Various shades of these colors are observed. There are however some differences. M42 Helmets were painted matte slate gray or blue-gray for the Luftwaffe.
The most creatable of these is the use of blue-gray paint necessitated a separate production line, which was costly and time consuming. A number of theories are put forward as to why. Few original blue-gray Luftwaffe helmets are found produced after the summer of 1943.
The History Of The German Steel Helmet Code Was Tied
The German military had been using decals to designate the branch of service since 1935. These numbers were used on all sorts of German equipment, uniforms and field gear not just chinstraps. The code was tied to a specific manufacture for quality control proposes. The use of the code was done to confuse allied intelligence from knowing the location of military equipment manufactures.Ckl marked M42 SS helmet, early 1943 production DecalsNo discussion of M42 helmets can be complete without touching on the use of decals. Prior to 1943 chinstrap were marked with a manufacture name and year of production. Starting in 1943 the manufacture was substituted for a code known as a Reichsbetriebsnummer or RB number. Reichsbetriebsnummer marked chinstrap on M42 helmetAlthough the helmet’s chinstrap remained almost unchanged from 1935 on, by the time the M42 came into production the markings on the strap did. A M42 helmet with a pig skin linerM42 helmets utilized the same liner and chinstrap system as the M40. The liner consisted of two interlocking zinc alloy bands held into the helmet with three split pins. While liners from the early part of the war typically used steer hide, or sheep skin, later in the war these higher quality leather were exchanged for much cheaper pig skin. This is probably due to a shortage of aluminum oxide caused by the war and factories made do with what was available to them.
SS decals would continue to be applied at the factory level until another order was issued on 1 November 1943 requiring that the practice stop. Starting on 28 Augusts of 1943 and order was issued to the helmet factories that decals for the Heer, Luftwaffe, Kreigsmarine were no longer be applied. The wearer’s left for Heer, Luftwaffe, Kreigsmarine, the right for the SS. German combat Police helmets were issued with a Police decal on the wearer’s left and a Nazi party shield on the right.
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