West German Helmets

[juoneen]

sure looks like a faint 4 after the 6 to me. Thanks for looking, and heres one more of the decal.

[juoneen]

so....is this also a fake decal? Is the helmet post war, and a farb , or an actual wartime helmet produced prior to the wars capitulation?? thanks again gordon, ill do that later today, as i was just glad i could download them from where i am currently.

[Guardian 5]

Long term collecting goal finally achieved!

Team - Thanks to the generosity of a fellow forum member who shall remain anonymous for the time being, lest he is besieged with PMs, I was at long last able to achieve a longstanding collecting goal by obtaining the first model Bundeswehr Steel Helmet. Known by many names as we’ll see later, Ludwig Baer, the dean of German helmet scholars, refers to it simply as “Der zweiteilige Stahlhelm der Bundeswehr”(roughly translated as “the two piece steel helmet of the Federal Armed Forces”).

And oh what a journey it was…. In the dark days before the Internet was created, information on this helmet was pretty sparse. I assumed, as did many of my fellow collectors, that the Bundeswehr was simply provided with surplus U.S. helmets under the auspices of the Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP), entered into with the United States on December 21, 1955.

Somewhere along the way, I learned that the helmet was actually made in Germany. But how could one distinguish it from the many clones that proliferated in the wake of World War II? Until Baer’s landmark work Vom Stahlhelm zum Gefechtshelm was published, I had nary a clue on how to identify a German manufactured M-1 helmet. Consequently, I acquired in turn Dutch, Austrian, Norwegian and Danish helmets, each time exclaiming, “YES”, only to have my dreams dashed by Herr Baer. I really wasn’t sure what I was looking for however, until clear, color pictures were published for my viewing pleasure right here on this forum.

Well the dark days are over. I am now the immensely proud owner of a 1956 made F.W. Quist steel shell (Firma F.W. Quist, Esslingen, or “F.W. Quist E”) and a 1959 made liner (Innenhelm) by Schuberthwerke K.G., Braunschweig (“S.W.B”.). And so ladies and gentlemen, if you’ll permit me, - YES!!!!

[Guardian 5]

Side view.

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Frontal view. Collectors of U.S. M-1 helmets will immediately notice how the liner chin strap is wider than the U.S. version.

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Another side view.

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Rear view. Note too the rear seam.

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The liner.

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Liner interior; virtually indistinguishable from the older U.S. version by novice collectors like myself.

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A Soldat by the name of "Schenck" once donned this lid.

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The interior stamp of the Quist steel shell “F.W. Quist E" (F.W. Quist, Esslingen).

The number 56 indicates year of manufacture; 41 refers to the the fourth quarter of that year.

This marking is the best way to distinguish the German made shell from its many look-a-likes.

[Guardian 5]

The marking on the liner.

S.W.B stands for Schuberthwerke K.G., Braunschweig. The number 59 refers to the year of manufacture.

Again, this feature above all distinguishes the German made liner from U.S. and allied models.

[Guardian 5]

Finally Team, posted below you'll will find a draft write-up on the German M-1 helmet from my long neglected manuscript on the post-war German Infantry.

I know, I know, it needs a lot of work....

Note how I never mention Ludwig Baer's name for the helmet. That should let you know how long this draft has been sitting on the hard drive.

In any event, thank you for your indulgence.

All the best - TJ


Steel helmet selection was no less controversial than any other aspect of the Bundeswehr uniform development. In 1951, the BGS promptly adopted a post-war version of the wartime M1935 “coal scuttle” helmet with nary a peep heard from West Germany’s neighbors. The Bundeswehr for their part were compelled to adopt a less militaristic design and settled on a German manufactured version of the ubiquitous U.S. M-1 Helmet. In Bundeswehr jargon it was simply referred to as the “two-piece model” (zweitel Ausfürung) or Helmet Model 56 (Helm Modell 56). The outer shells were manufactured with manganese steel by the firms of Quist and Linnemann-Schnetzer. Some readers may recall that the Quist firm made many thousands of steel helmets for the Wehrmacht during the war. The helmet shell was painted NATO olive in both smooth and textured finishes. Some 190,000 were produced between June 1956 and October 1958.
Four manufacturers, including Römer, Maury, Schuberth and Bebra made the liners. The blue-gray painted liner came complete with a russet leather chinstrap. The factory location and last two years of the date were stamped inside the body, liner and webbing. Bundeswehr soldiers in basic training or pulling detail would often wear the helmet liner in lieu of a soft cap. Honor guards also employed the liner on ceremonial occasions and would continue to do so long after the zweitel Ausfürung had been retired. Produced well into the 1990s, the liner was only recently retired in favor of a specially modified version of the current issue Kevlar ® protective helmet (Gefechtshelme).
The M-1 Helmet, so popular with G.I.s and much of the rest of the free world, was greatly disliked by the Bundeswehr. In their view, the American model furnished less protection than traditional German “coal scuttle” design of the First and Second World Wars. Bundeswehr soldiers also found it ill fitting. Whereas wartime German helmets were produced in a variety of sizes, the American model was designed as “one size fits all.” A secure fit was achieved by adjusting the sweatband inside the helmet liner. Bundeswehr uniform expert Jorg Hormann would write that “the great bell-shaped [helmet]…perches on the head only with great difficulty.” It was especially troublesome for men with small heads. The zweitel Ausfürung would be replaced in 1958 with the FJ-60. This helmet, manufactured in a variety of sizes, retained the general outline of the two-piece model but discarded the separate liner in favor of the traditional internal liner so common of the wartime models.
Helmet camouflage techniques of this era reflect both wartime and NATO influences. A common method was to cut a sand bag into a make shift helmet cover, a technique popularized by U.S. soldiers in the Korean War. Many hoods from the Kampfanzug Modell 1955 were converted into make shift helmet covers. German soldiers often covered this with a heavy mesh net (tarnnetz) or stout cords in manner similar to the technique employed by Wehrmacht soldiers with baling wire. A helmet and net festooned with vegetation was known as a “NATO Hecke,” or NATO shrub.

[PASSAUER8884]

Congrats! Nice helmet! I'm lucky enough to have a 58' dated liner. Maybe the shell will come along some day...

[Collectinsteve]

Fantastic helmet!! You got yourself a real cherry. Beautifully clear markings too!

Not surprisingly I've been after one of these for years without luck. How many of these are up on eBay right now? With all the US, Dutch, Danish, Austrian, Belgian, Portuguese, and other helmets out there it's difficult to tell because most eBay sellers are HORRIBLE with these helmets. A few weeks ago a seller had one very clearly labeled as 1st Model BW, but when asked about stamps he said there were none. Well Herr Käufer, that's an EUR 8 helmet then (and kindly change the description!). Gah.

Well, good to know one of the team got a nice helmet like this one!

Steve