As worn by The Imperial German army 1916-1918

“German Helmets inc.” offers the finest available completely restored Model 1916 and Model 1918 German helmets.

 Original Helmet shells have been repainted in the correct grey green smooth finish. The liners, specially made by leather craftsmen in Europe are constructed of the correct grades of leather and finished to exact original specifications. The split-pins used to mount the liners are exact reproductions and include the thicker headed one at the rear.

    Each helmet comes complete with correct chinstrap

A note on sizing;

    M1916 liners being a bit more primitive than the later WW2 liners, allow for a wider size tolerance. Meaning simply, bigger heads fit into smaller helmet shell sizes than their WW2 counterparts. In each pad of the liner there is a pocket into which a padding “pillow” can be inserted. These helmets come without “pillows”.  As such, these helmets are slightly oversized. The buyer can add padding as needed. Without padding, a size 66 helmet shell can fit up to a size 7 3/4 hat-size.

A note on condition; READ THIS!!

   I am dealing with original helmet shells which are over a hundred years old. You wouldn’t imagine the types of things that have happened to some of these in the years following the great war. This on top of whatever mayhem they had to endure during the war. In short; I am saying that you should please not expect perfection as far as shell condition. I do my best to remove noticeable dents. (Oddly, the larger ones are easier to remove than smaller ones.)  I do not accept shells which are cracked by either battle damage or post-war mis-use. However sometimes pitting is a problem. I choose not to use any sort of bondo or fiberglass material. I fill in pitting (when it is present) as much as I can with the same type of paint that I use for the surface. Sometimes pitting shows through; especially inside the dome where it cannot easily be worked on. Overall my success is pretty good and most of my helmets have no issues of these sort. But there are exceptions. Again; if you seek perfection; please do not seek it here.

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This is a typical example of the M16 helmets which I have stripped and repainted. This example is a shell size 66. I generally have these available with either of two liner types which are shown below:

These photos show the helmet with the first model which was accepted for mass production in early 1916. It is composed of three leather pads sewn to a leather circumferential frame.

These photos show the helmet with the steel framed liner which was adopted by most manufacturers in 1917; often referred to as the M17 liner.

I love all of the film versions. Neither is perfect but each has something going for it.

M16 helmet Sizes available

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Helmet size 64 (liner size 56-58)     $450.00   AVAILABLE

Helmet size 66 (liner size 58-60)     $450.00   AVAILABLE

Helmet size 68 (liner size 61-62)     $650.00  NOT AVAILABLE

I have one-off type helmets listed below

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Restored helmet #420 M18 Cut-out helmet ET64

This is an original ET64 M18 cut-out shell, stripped and repainted in my special-mixed feldgrau paint. This helmet shell is 100% original. It bears the steel lot number R1875N. (virtually every original M18 cut-out helmet was produced from one of two steel lot number ranges; one of them being the sequence running from R1700N to R19000N)  The shell has only very light pitting and no cracks/dents/damage. There has been no welding done nor filler added during the restoration of this helmet shell. It has been finished off with a European made reproduction M18 liner/strap assembly. At the risk of bragging, I must say that this is one of the nicest restorations I have ever done. $1650.00

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Restored helmet #419 M16 “Square dip” helmet ET64

Original photographs of German soldiers wearing the square-dip M16: at Left: Bavarian “stosstruppen” preparing for an assault on the Verdun front, April 1916; at right is a soldier of the royal Wurttemburg 122nd grenadier regiment. This direct profile is one of the best original photos showing the M16 square-dip helmet from the side.

This is an original M16 first production-run featuring the uniquely shaped front visor known by collectors as the “square-dip”. These helmets were the first M16s produced by ET in late 1915 and were debuted at Verdun; being worn by the first wave assault troops on that fateful morning of February 21, 1916. The dies were soon changed to the more standard shape which continued through-out the war years.  This example was stripped and repainted in my special mixed M1916 feldgrau smooth texture paint. The helmet shell shows light pitting in several areas. The maker mark is obscured but the shell is free of dents and other such damage. There is no filler added nor welding done in the restoration of this helmet shell. The helmet was completed with an extreme-quality size 64 leather liner. Honestly this is the best repro m16 liner I have ever seen. I found it somewhere a few years ago and have been saving it for a special occasion. I wish I knew who made it as I would love to be able to stock them. Anyway, overall this M16 is a very good example of an extremely rare helmet; most likely the rarest production helmet that the German ever made.  $1150.00

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Restored helmet #418 M18 helmet ET64

This is an original ET64 shell. I did not do the restoration of this one but whomever it was did a fine job. The paint color is spot-on and the shell is in excellent condition with no cracks/dents/rust pitting.  $475.00

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Restored helmet #417 M16 Tj66

This is an original TJ66 M16 shell, stripped and repainted in a three color camouflage pattern with a Machinegunners insignia. The helmet has been aged. Great for display or wear. $450.00

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Restored helmet #416 M16 B.F62

This is an original BF62 with new paint and an aged liner. $350.00

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Restored helmet #415 M16 Si66

This Si66 helmet shell has it’s original paint inside and out. The split-pins are original and matching to the helmet. The liner is an older copy made by “Great War Militaria” in Pennsylvania back in the 1990s. Overall, this one has a look so genuine that I had to look twice myself. SOLD

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Restored helmet #414 M18 Krupp Berndorf

This is an original Krupp M18 helmet with the Berndorf bear logo stamped at the rear. It is a size 64 (which is the only size that this maker ever produced prior to 1919) The helmet has been repainted and new leather pads with cloth chinstrap applied to the original liner frame. $450.00

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Restored helmet #413 M16 G62

This is a size 62 helmet shell made by the Gnüchtel Brothers metal stamping firm in lauter, Saxony. During WW2, they were back to producing helmets using the NS maker code.  (the factory is still there, producing roofing materials. I own a house about a half hour away and have driven past it). The helmet shell has been recently painted in a nice three-color pattern with a reproduction liner and strap added. A size stencil was applied to the interior skirt as well. This one is a good-looker. $400.00

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Restored helmet #411 M16 Austrian (German supplied shell) ET64

This is an original German produced ET64 helmet shell which was supplied to the Austrians who installed their own shell-mounted chinstrap D-rings. The shell has been restored with correct Austrian brown paint and a late-war canvas liner. Topped off with a very correct appearing reproduction cloth chinstrap with grommets for the buckle prong. The helmet has been aged very convincingly. SOLD

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Restored helmet #408 M16 TJ66

This is an original M16 helmet shell manufactuired by C. Thiel & sohne of Lubeck. The shell size is 66, although the markings are faint. The helmet has been finished off with an unsual (but originally used) multi-color camouflage pattern. The M16 style liner is an excellent copy. The helmet is convincingly aged. $450.00

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Restored helmet #407 M18 ET64

This is an original ET64 M18 helmet restored as a three color camouflage. It has a European made reproduction M18 style steel framed liner with white chrome-tanned pads. The helmet is finished off with a reproduction M18 chinstrap which is a rarely encountered cloth variant.  $450.00

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Restored helmet #406 M18 Austrian Berndorf 64

This is an original Austrian helmet shell produced by the Krupp plant at Berndorf beginning in 1918. It is a unique model having the two forward liner connection points placed at the dead sides. The steel liner frame is unique to this model as well. It is completed with late-war canvas pads and is finished off with a replica of the Berndorf style chinstrap. The helmet has been restored by being first painted in Austrian brown and then a three-color camouflage pattern applied over it. A fairly rare helmet which has been expertly restored. $500.00

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Restored helmet #405 M17 Austrian helmet AW66

This is an original Austrian M17 helmet shell which has been expertly restored and aged. It is repainted in correct brown color. The liner is a late-war canvas type. The chinstrap is the typical Austrian cloth type with grommeted holes for the chinstrap buckle. The helmet shell was made A. Westen of Cilli and is a size 66. $450.00

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Restored helmet #404 M17 Austrian helmet BGB66

This is an original Austrian M17 helmet shell which has been expertly restored and aged. It is repainted in correct brown color. The liner is a late-war canvas type. The chinstrap is the typical Austrian cloth type with grommeted holes for the chinstrap buckle. The helmet shell was made by Bruder Gottlieb & Brauchbar of Brno and is a size 66. A name has been added in the rear which is written in Yugoslavian alphabet (Yugoslavia having been a part of the widespread Austro-Hungarian empire prior to 1918) SOLD

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Reproduction M18 Camouflage helmets

I bought a small supply of these reproduction M18 helmets that are camouflaged.  They are Asian made reproduction shells with reproduction liners and new paint. They are all shell size 64. Nothing is original but they are fun. And cheap too. You can buy one for $100 + post.

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Be sure to click on this link check out my other website dedicated to other kinds of Militaria

 

Contact information:

To order or to ask questions:

 E-mail address: wii1944@aol.com

Mailing address:

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