Original World War Two German Luftwaffe M35 SE66 Double Decal Dark Green Overpaint Ex-Wire Helmet.
Really interesting Lid featuring a Dark-Green overpaint over both decals that can still be seen underneath the paint as well as thick indent lines within the paint where a wire sat when the helmet was painted. Underneath the green tones the Luftwaffe Blue can still be seen. The bulging and outlines of the Luftwaffe Adler can be seen, as well as its tail feathers, the tricolor decal can still be seen underneath the paint as well where small portions of the red are seen. The pig skin liner is in excellent condition and marked 58 on one of the tongues and underneath is also a factory code number. The skirt of the lid itself also still retains the helmet factory code as well as the maker and size code; SE66 indicating manufacture by Sächsische Emaillier-und Stanzwerke, AG Lauter, size 66. Unfortunately no chin strap on this one.
In early 1915, the French army introduced the first "modern" steel helmets, followed shortly by the British army later that year. With experimental helmets in the field, plans on the drawing board, and some captured French and British helmets, the German army conducted tests for their own steel helmet at the Kummersdorf Proving Grounds in November and in the field in December 1915. After approving an acceptable design, production began at Eisen-und Hüttenwerke, AG Thale/Harz in the spring of 1916. These first modern M16 helmets evolved into the M18 helmets by the end of WWI. The M16 and M18 helmets remained in usage through-out the Weimar Reichswehr era and on into the early years of the Third Reich until the development of the smaller, lighter M35 style helmet in June 1935. In an effort to reduced construction time and labor costs minor modifications were introduced in March 1940 resulting in the M40 helmet. Further construction modifications were undertaken in August 1942 resulting in the M42 helmet. Originally the Third Reich national tricolor helmet decal was introduced on March 14th 1933 for wear on the left side of the helmet to replace the Reichswehr era state shield insignia. Regulations of February 17th 1934 introduced the Wehrmacht eagle decal and the national tricolor decal was shifted to the right side of the helmet with the Wehrmacht eagle decal positioned on the left hand side. Regulations of March 21st 1940 dictated that the national tri-color decal was to be removed from all helmets and further regulations of August 28th 1943 abolished the Wehrmacht eagle decal and dictated that it was also to be removed from all helmets although the directives were not completely adhered to.
