OT German Helmets

Mike Proving that almost anything can be found online you should look at

I was always given to understand that they were air vents, although I didn't realise that Germans were that hotheaded. Enjoy!

The only lugs on German helmets that I know of are from WWI. These lugs were there so that additional armour plate could be attached. Each lug engaged with a cut-out from a single frontal piece of steel plate that covered the front of the helmet. A leather strap secured the plate around the back of the helmet.

Spudgun

Thanks Guys

I looked at the site Les pointed out to me and I saw that the helmets changed quite a bit through the years, Some had what appeared to be very prominent lugs, with what appeared to be grooves and later on just buttons with holes. It looks like with all of the different helmet styles that Germany had between the two wars that they could have built another battleship. But having that said it look's like they must got it right. The U.S.'s new helmet looks a whole lot more like their's than it does the U.S.'s from that same time period.

Mike

On WWI era helmets there were prominent lugs on the helmets to attach a metal plate to protect snipers although I am sure other soldiers used them too.

Now on WWII German helmets it is a bit different. The buttons or lugs that you see on the helmet, three in fact, are the suspension attachment pieces.

HTH

Tom

They originated on the WWI stahlhelm and were for handing an armored face shield off of. They also doubled as vents. On WWII helmets they're just vents.

I've top-posted as all the other comments have individual seeds of confusion along with the good stuff partialy due to the possibly misleading information in this question. I will try to cover all the bases.

First, the prominent lugs I think you are referring to are from WWI helmets, the Steel Helmet Model of 1916 also with internal refinements that occured in 1917. The lugs were for hanging a form fitting steel plate on the forward part of the helmet for trench observers (anyone who was unlucky enough to be ordered to have sentry duty in the trenches)...an anti-sniper defense. The lugs also seconded as vents. You can now purchase these replica plates for use on German helmets. A neat trick is that the German helmets actually came in different sizes, and the base of the lugs were of different thicknesses for each helmet so that the same plate could be used on different sized helmets!!!

Some WWI 1916-18 helmets survived into WWII with German allies or rear echelon's, very rear echelon's in Germany, maybe some non-combat units etc. The helmets survived in large numbers in Germany and other places into the thirties and early on many were refurbished (and sometimes might have shown up in backwater parts of Germany). Many period films of the Germans in the 1930's show various organizations including the Army wearing them. You will never see these helmets with any WWII German combat units. They were too heavy and clumsy.

It is interesting that the Irish actually made copies of the M-16 Helmet in the 1920's. These helmets, never made in large numbers for the small Irish Army, were eventually scrapped but occassionally you see one come up on ebay. They are considered quite scarce. They have a few features (different suspension) and a cockade attachment that give them away but only if you know what you are looking at. They were made of lighter steel than the German helmets....who made them? None other than Vickers Ltd. (who also made Lugers in the 1920's for the Dutch!!!)

One WWII film, "to hell and back" has WWII hero Audie Murphy fighting Germans with WWI Model 1916 helmets....a gross inaccuracy, but I guess hollywood hadn't restocked yet. However, Audie was disappointed that they used a Sherman tank in lieu of the M10 Tank Destroyer that he really fought off all those Germans with...I guess the german helmet miff was not on his radar. Not complaining...that German M42 in Audies hands was awesome.

The US Army experimentally made some helmets of similar design in the late teens but decided not to use them although they were ballistically superior to the Brit design.

The German helmets that were true "WWII" only had a open rivet on each side for ventilation and no big lugs for hanging the plate. This started with the model of 1935. Also the helmet was cut down in shape from the

1916 model. A slightly simplified helmet, the M40 (1940) replaced the M1935 helmet, but to tell the two apart is very difficult. The M35 is rivet/holes are just a tad smaller. I think the M40 was a tad lighter but not sure of that.

In 1942, the M40 helmet was altered by not turning under the outward facing edge of the helmet which gave the edge a splayed out look, it is fun, when you are watching genuine and hollywood films to id the M40 or the M42. It becomes quite easy when you know what you are looking for. M40 and M42 helmets were the most gathered up of war trophies during the war. Occassionally an M35 was gathered up, usually painted in the darker green that was started on the helmets in 1940. Prior to

1940, the German helmets were more of an apple green. Apple green M35's are highly soughtcollectors items.

Of course the Luftwaffe was also using the helmets for AA and ground crew and these were a blue-gray.

As for the suspension buttons, the M16 shared the same three hole placement for split rivets that were put in by hand, although inside the liner system was different than the later helmets. One quirk of the M16 was that the rear split rivet was prominent, almost a mini-lug, I think the intent for that was it being used to stabilize the leather strap of the trench plate. This little mini-lug rivet was replaced by smooth rivets in the M35-M40-M42 series with the demise of the trench plate.

The two front, smooth rivets were pretty much retained throughout the helmets. When put in at the factory on the M35-M42 helmets, the rivets were snug and fit well,You know a liner has been taken out and at least examined or replaced when one the liner retaining rivets is loose.

Its all more complicated than this simplistic explanation but I hope it covers the bases.

I apologize if I have 'overanswered" the question or misinterpreted it.

I am sure any factual errors will be corrected with aclarity.

First, the vent holes on the M35 are actually vent/rivets put into a pre-drilled/punched hole.

On the M40/M42's the raised area of the vent was punched from the inside and therefore is not a separate rivet, it tends to be a bit lower and of course is not a separate piece like the M35's. I reached inside by m42 an dm40 and it felt very rough and I thought it would be smooth and I could not feel the indentation from the inside...I suddenly realised that when the vent bumps were punched from the inside of the helmet that the actual holes were punch from the outside, probably part fo the same prcess. So it is external examination that tells the tale, and unless the helmet is in pristine condition, it is hard to verify with the naked eye, at least for an old guy like me....however a light3d magnifying glass did the trick. If it is a separate 'rivet" with a hole in it, its M35, if it just a bump with a hole in it, its an M40. If it has a bump and the rim edge is unrolled, its an M42.

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