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The Stalhelm (Newsreel and Period Docs)

Hambone

Community Organizer
Staff member
This has been posted before, but it's pretty interesting.....

 
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Here is the translation of this Newsreel chapter from 1940:

0:14 - 0:17 Here steel helmets are made for our soldiers

0:23 - 0:27 Before pressing, the round-cut plates made of chrome-nickel steel are bathed in soapy water

0:31 - 0:34 The pressing takes place in several operations

0:55 - 0:58 Here are the edges of the helmets carefully revised

1:09 - 1:15 In an annealing furnace, the chrome-nickel steel, which has now become helmets, is annealed and then hardened in an oil bath

1:33 - 1:35 The steel helmet gets its color

1:41 - 1:45 The application of the national emblem is done with the help of decals

1:51 - 1:53 The leather is installed

1:59 - 2:00 In the drying rack

2:02 - 2:06 Again and again individual helmets are taken out and used in shooting tests

2:10 - 2:13 The resilience of the material has thrown the projectile back

2:14 - 2:20 So the steel helmet, to which Geheimrat Bier gave the idea during the World War, is a sure protection for our soldiers
 
Introduction of steel helmet 35

I have translated some background informations about the steel helmets, here is the "Introduction of steel helmet 35".


289. Steel helmet 35.

1. To overcome the drawbacks of the present steel helmet (obstruction of hearing and vision when aiming, shooting and operating optical equipment), new steel helmets were designed and put to trials in instructional and experimental units. The wearing tests are completed. The improved pattern - steel helmet without ear cutting and without ventilation bolt, with a slightly higher set front shield and slightly shortened front shield, side- and neck shield - is introduced under the name "Steel helmet 35" instead of the previous steel helmet for nonhorsemen and horsemen. Samples and descriptions as well as leaflet about distribute and seat of the steel helmets will be issued later. The wearing time remains unchanged.

2. The previous helmet sizes (60, 62, 64, 66, 68) are kept. Intermediate sizes (61, 63, 65, 67) are achieved through the interior fittings.

3. a) The newly formed troops will be equipped with steel helmet 35 in accordance with the requirements declarations requested until July 1, 1935. These requirements declarations must be forwarded immediately by the Army clothing offices to the Procurement Office.

b) About the announcement of further demand for steel helmets 35 and about the target quota command remains reserve. For future requirements declarations, helmet sizes, intermediate sizes and head width should be indicated as follows:

60-----Z 61 62-----Z 63 64-----Z 65 66-----Z 67 68
53------54 55-------56 57-------58 59-------60 61

4. The interior 31 remains unchanged.

5. Later instructions will be given on the use of the current steel helmets after equipment of the troops with steel helmets 35.

6. An order on the functional utilization of the helmets made of vulcanized fiber, which have been tested, is taken by the military district commandos, etc.

Supreme High Command of the German Army,
June 25, 1935 V 5 III b.
 
Steel helmet paint coat

165. Steel helmet paint coat.

The steel helmets of the army have a feldgrau-dull paint coat. To preserve the dull appearance, it is forbidden to lacquer or grease steel helmets.

In order to ensure that suitable paint and colors are used to refresh the paint coat, the troops must in future report their need for steel helmet paint, namely the replacement troops at the relevant Army clothing offices, the field troops in the
prescribed way for them.

The supply of the Army clothing offices with steel helmet paint causes the Wehrmacht procurement office.

O.K.H. (BdE), January 27, 1940
- 64 k 10/11. 18 – Abt Bkl (III b).
 
Steel helmet paint coat

428. Steel helmet paint coat.

--- H. M. 1940 Page 67 No. 165 ---

For camouflage reasons, the steel helmets of the Army receive a schist-gray dull, slightly roughened paint coat. The demand for steel helmet paint is to be requested by the troops on the supply routes. Instructions for use are supplied with each. The black-white-red hatchment on the steel helmet of the field troops and the field set of the replacement Army falls away during the war. Until the delivery of the paint for the roughened coat, the troops have to carry out the camouflage of the steel helmet with makeshift means (painting with earth, clay, etc.). Camouflage caps, camouflage nets, camouflage ribbons or camouflage rings are not eligible for camouflage purposes.

O.K.H. (BdE), March 21, 1940
- 64 k 10/11. 18 – Abt Bkl (III b).
 
Steel helmets for armored troops

278. Steel helmets for armored troops.

1. The armored troops and artillery units S. Pak (Sfl.), which were previously equipped with Schutzmützen (protective caps), will in future be equipped with steel helmets.

(H. M. 1940 Page 67 No. 166, page 303 No. 684 and H. M. 1941 Page 43 No. 64).

2. Demand requirements on the prescribed supply routes must be observed.

Correction of K. U. N. will follow later.

3. Corrections.

H. M. 1940 Page 67 No. 166: Delete under I. a) in the 2nd line the word "Schutzmütze" and set "Feldmütze" (field cap). Paragraph 3 should be deleted.

Paragraph (b) is replaced by the following: "Steel helmets shall be given to all soldiers of the armored troops".

H. M. 1940 Page 303 No. 684: In paragraph 1, the information on Schutzmützen
should be deleted.

O.K.H. (Ch H Rüst u. BdE), March 8, 1941

- 64 f 3 – AHA/Bkl (II c 2).
 
Steel helmet camouflage net

693. Instructions for use for steel helmet camouflage net.

In the annex the instructions for use with drawing for steel helmet camouflage net are published.

Annex 1 and 2
Page 380/381

O.K.H. (Ch H Rüst u. BdE), August 10, 1942
--- 64 k 10/11. 18 --- Abt Bkl (III b).
 
Steel helmet camouflage net Annex 1 and 2

Annex 1 to No. 693

Instructions for use for steel helmet camouflage net.

1. Attach the attachment hooks to the steel helmet.

a) F r o n t h o o k : The hook (Fig. 1) is pushed between the outer ring of the interior and steel helmet - the ends are expediently rotated a bit and placed flat next to each other - and hung in the outer ring. The hook is placed tightly around the steel helmet edge and pushed firmly (see fig. 2 and 3).

b) B a c k h o o k : The hook is pushed between the inner ring and outer ring of the interior and hung again in the outer ring, then firmly placed around the steel helmet edge and pushed (see fig. 2 and 3).

2. Attaching the net to the steel helmet.

The net is inserted with the tension cord b) between the two knot at a) (Fig. 4) on the front hook of the helmet. Then the net is pulled over the steel helmet, the tensioning cord stretched and turned by hand. The cord crossed under the rear hook is then suspended (Fig. 7 to 9), the ring c) then pushed under a suitable mesh so that it lies under the net and points to the hook. This ensures the tension.

The face part is folded back when not in use and hung with two hooks in the net.

3. Use of the net.


To camouflage the fastening get opened, the crossed cord jumps out of the hook. Then the net is put forward in front of the helmet and spread out (Fig. 5). After camouflage material has been put on (Fig. 6), the helmet is toppled and the net is tensioned in the same way as described under 2.

For de-camouflage, the tilted forward net get shaked out.

4. When not in use for a long time
, the net get removed and stored in the upper interior of the helmet.

5. Camouflage material.

As camouflage material even the most sensitive material is suitable, like dry leaves, dry bracken, moss, in the same way as beet leaves, erica, cereal, reed, bark pieces, leaves and cotton pieces.

In order to make the camouflage particularly effective, it is recommended to slightly pull out the camouflage material between individual stitches of the net. Care should also be taken to ensure that in the case of longer grass or cereal stalks they have the same direction under the net as the surrounding cereal or grass, etc.

To camouflage the shoulder - if the terrain allows it - individual stalks, branches or grass are pulled out laterally under the tensioning cord. -

Annex 2 is attached
 

Attachments

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Nationality marking on the steel helmet

690. Nationality marking on the steel helmet.

The nationality marking on the steel helmet will be removed for the duration of the war.

O.K.H. (Ch H Rüst u. BdE), August 28, 1943

64 c 32 Abt Bkl (III a).
9947/43
 
8x57, thank you! :happy0180: The information you provide us makes the original video pale in comparison! Sticky.
 
I am not a stalhelm collector, but it would be cool to get one of the converted ones pressed into a collander, I am gonna ask my guy in germany to look around in the flea markets

the 1946 helmet conversion factory : reminded me of the East German DEFA movie " Murders Among Us" circa 1946, the main culprit in the movie was the owner of such a factory and has scenes inside one of these factories

tidbit of info
 
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You are very welcome Hambone! :happy0180:

@sprat
The 1946 helmet conversion factory is Emaillierwerke A.G. in Fulda, they produced helmets with the code "EF" during wartime. These colander you find sometimes on Ebay and little flea markets.
In my area farmers converted helmets to slurry-ladle.
 
I am not a stalhelm collector, but it would be cool to get one of the converted ones pressed into a collander, I am gonna ask my guy in germany to look around in the flea markets

the 1946 helmet conversion factory : reminded me of the East German DFA movie " Murders Among Us" circa 1946, the main culprit in the movie was the owner of such a factory and has scenes inside one of these factories

tidbit of info

"Die Mörder sind unter uns"

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Mörder_sind_unter_uns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Rd9CbvqzJM
 

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