German biography world war 2 helmet

More Helmets for an Expanding War

The German helmet of World War II is often broken down for distinction in three different models. The M35, M40 and M42. In truth according to the German high command there was only one model, the Model 35, so called because the first years of production was in 1935.

The other models, the M40 and M42 do not exist in German military records.

German biography world war 2 helmet

The reason for this is simply because the German military did not consider the later two versions to be new models, just modifications of the original design. The reasons for these modification were the result of a massively expanding war that required helmets as quickly as the factories could turn them out.

The German military had been experiencing helmet shortage since the 1930s.

Part of this was due to the decision to sell over 220,000 brand newly produced M35 helmets to the Nationalist Chinese government between 1935 and 1937, not to mention smaller numbers of h