Early M56 Stahlhelm with camo cover-need help

[K Bandow]

I got my first one issued in 1987, it had a leather sweatband and head chushoning and only the spider was plastic and I can assure you that it rested very well on my head and that it and I survived many test blows with all kinds of implements... and that these have left no permanent damage.. Cheers, Torsten.

You had a good one then! The one I sold to him must not have been adjusted correctly, although it seemed like it could not be adjusted any more. Strange.
Oh well.
Thanks!
Karl

[K Bandow]

I was curious, what price do these run usually? I do not think I will sell it (unless a collector of DDR items would really like it), I just want to have a feel of how good I did at the flee market.
Later!
Karl

[bolo]

DDR M56 helmets

I was curious, what price do these run usually? I do not think I will sell it (unless a collector of DDR items would really like it), I just want to have a feel of how good I did at the flee market.
Later!
Karl

$40 is a bargain for the early first model M56 helmet with M31 style liner and the rain camo cover

the prices are going up on these helmets

I recently saw one on ebay sell for around $142 without a cover, just the helmet!

[winniler]

There are two sizes of liner & shell on the M-56/66 (plastic "spider" liner). If you have a large head you need the large helmet & possibly adjust the liner to fit. I had one that fit me well & i take a size 60. As is often the case with helmets, the large size is less common, so many people think they don't exist.

The B/II did not have a flanged rim. See Baer's book. Also in that photo no rear rivet is shown, so the B/II may have had the same liner system as the very early M-56 (see Marzetti 32.110). No one knows for certain what liner it took because there are no known surviving B/IIs & no photos.

With the later type M-56, it's not unusual to find the liner foam removed, which is how some users dealt with not having a large enough helmet.

How is this larger size new model recognizable? Are there markings or it is just a quesiton of measuring the shell?

[Mike G.]

Hi,

The post you are quoting is a bit misleading.

To simplify the matter, there basically were two patterns of NVA Stahlhelms.
The first pattern had rivets and was ever so slightly more rounded on the very top. The liner was of the early pattern with the draw string and sponge inserts, which varied in color. Gray and orange seem to be the most common, though I've seen yellow and green.
This helmet, designated the M-56, was primarily in use from 1956 to 1965.

The helmet was replaced by the second M-56 pattern, which had no rivets, and consequently used a new style "Spyder" like liner specifically for the new helmet. The very top of the helmet was ever so slightly flatter than the older riveted model.

You will occasionally find helmets that are of the older riveted type that have been modified to accept the newer type liner. There is nothing wrong with these helmets. They are correct.

The helmet shells to the best that can thus far be discerned, were produced in three sizes, which are stamped on the inside rim of the shell in Roman Numerals from I to III. They also were date stamped using the Roman Numeral type for quarter of the year followed by common date codes, such as 61 or 68 for the actual year.
IV/61 would be fourth quarter of 1961 for example.

The liners are usually date stamped with a Roman Numeral for quarter of the year produced, followed by a letter designating the actual year.
The liner sizes can usually be found stamped somewhere on the liner in blue or blue-black ink, and usually cover more than one size. Example 54 - 56.

If you do a Forum Search for Stahlhelm, you will find three pages of Threads on the NVA Helmet.

Here is an informative example of one of the many threads you can find by doing the search:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ight=Stahlhelm

[uscob]

By the Nomenclature of the Forces the "Cover" was a hood for the Jacket and not a Helmet Cover but could used as it on special Commanders Order. Normally there was only the Net for the Helmet.

[uscob]

last for now-owner's name, which I believe is Heinz Schlictsting

To me it's Heinz Schlichting what is a "Normal" Name.

[Viktor]

Genosse,
If you play with the Hood / Helmet Cover you will find it also fits well the over the Winter Hat as well as it is shaped.
I have seen an Image of a Genosse wearing one over a Tank Helmet for Camouflage, it got used and Genossen used it for "Soldier Fixes" as all Soldiers do with Kit and a problem to over come.

Have a play...

[winniler]

Hi,

The post you are quoting is a bit misleading.

To simplify the matter, there basically were two patterns of NVA Stahlhelms.
The first pattern had rivets and was ever so slightly more rounded on the very top. The liner was of the early pattern with the draw string and sponge inserts, which varied in color. Gray and orange seem to be the most common, though I've seen yellow and green.
This helmet, designated the M-56, was primarily in use from 1956 to 1965.

The helmet was replaced by the second M-56 pattern, which had no rivets, and consequently used a new style "Spyder" like liner specifically for the new helmet. The very top of the helmet was ever so slightly flatter than the older riveted model.

You will occasionally find helmets that are of the older riveted type that have been modified to accept the newer type liner. There is nothing wrong with these helmets. They are correct.

The helmet shells to the best that can thus far be discerned, were produced in three sizes, which are stamped on the inside rim of the shell in Roman Numerals from I to III. They also were date stamped using the Roman Numeral type for quarter of the year followed by common date codes, such as 61 or 68 for the actual year.
IV/61 would be fourth quarter of 1961 for example.

The liners are usually date stamped with a Roman Numeral for quarter of the year produced, followed by a letter designating the actual year.
The liner sizes can usually be found stamped somewhere on the liner in blue or blue-black ink, and usually cover more than one size. Example 54 - 56.

If you do a Forum Search for Stahlhelm, you will find three pages of Threads on the NVA Helmet.

Here is an informative example of one of the many threads you can find by doing the search:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ight=Stahlhelm

I understood that the second model helmet was produced only in shell of the medium type, due to the adjustable nature of the liner. I remember old discussion noticing that in croatian war croat soldiers had to cut the plastic tops to accomodate bigger heads.

The plastic top liner was a bad design, I have two of such helmets and clearly it doesn't work well with big heads, the helm looks like a salad bow on my head and protects only the very top, as a medieval skullcap would have, without exploiting the characteristic sideway slopes of the original design.

[Stasi1950]

Considering the price I just paid for mine, you did very well. Nice helmet!

[uscob]

40 Euros for an early type is ok. For sure you can find them cheaper by surprise, but as Sturm takes 25 Euros+tax+shipment+dealers earnings and taxes again, 40 is a good price.