Personalised Relic WW1 German M16 Helmet

Personalised Relic WW1 German M16 Helmet

WW1 German M16 Stahlhelm helmet , no liner or chinstrap , good size .

This piece has is a relic and came from Hardecourt on the Somme from a Brocante.

The original name of the soldier is still visible on the rear guard of the helmet.

Personalised Relic WW1 German M16 Helmet

The Stahlhelm(‘steel helmet’) is a German military steel helmet intended to provide protection against shrapnel and fragments of grenades. The term Stahlhelm refers both to a generic steel helmet and more specifically to the distinctive German military design.

The armies of major European powers introduced helmets of this type during World War I. The German Army began to replace the traditional boiled leather Pickelhaube (‘spiked helmet’) with the Stahlhelm in 1916. The Stahlhelm, with its distinctive “coal scuttle” shape, was instantly recognizable and became a common element of propaganda on both sides, just like the Pickelhaube before it. The name was also used by Der Stahlhelm, a German first World War ex-servicemen‘s organization existing from 1918 to 1935. After World War II, the German Bundeswehr (English: Federal Armed Forces) continued to call their standard helmet Stahlhelm, but the design was based on the American M1 helmet. The Bundesgrenzschutz (English: Federal border service), however, continued to use the original German design, until both troops switched to the new M92 Aramid helmet.^{[clarification needed][}

The Stahlhelm was introduced into regular service during the Verdun campaign in early 1916.

The M1916 design had side-mounted horn-like ventilator lugs which were intended to be support for an additional steel brow plate or Stirnpanzer, which only ever saw limited use by snipers and trench raiding parties, as it was too heavy for general use.^[18]

The shell came in different sizes, from 60 to 68, with some size 70s reported. Helmet weight varied from 0.98 kg to 1.4 kg, depending on shell size. The suspension, or liner, consisted of a headband with three segmented leather pouches, each holding padding materials, and leather or fabric cords could be adjusted to provide a comfortable fit. The one-piece leather chin strap was attached to the shell by M1891 chinstrap lugs, the same kind used in the Pickelhaube helmet.

The M1916 design provided excellent protection: Reserve Lieutenant Walter Schulze of 8th Company Reserve Infantry Regiment 76 described his combat introduction to the helmet on the Somme, 29 July 1916: