German Model 1916 steel helmet

German Model 1916 steel helmet with leather liner and chinstrap. The exterior of the helmet has been camouflaged, after July 1918, in geometric blocks of green, tan and brown paint, separated by black lines. The interior retains its original overall green finish, and is marked in black with the letters 'D R' (presumably the initials of the owner). Both the exterior and the interior up to the liner have been given a coating of varnish or lacquer, giving the helmet a semi-gloss finish. The leather liner is attached to the helmet by three rivets. Three pads backed with cotton pouches are spaced equally around the liner, two of which have lost their cushions (which have been replaced with pieces of wadding) while the third retains its original cotton cushion pad stuffed with horsehair. The twine which would have passed through six laceholes at the top of the liner is missing. The leather chinstrap is adjustable by a pair of brass sliding buckles, and has a brass fitting at each end. These fittings match to posts on the inside of the helmet, and enable the chinstrap to be quickly removed. In front of the chinstrap post on the left hand side are the stamped markings 'N.J.62', which indicate the manufacturer and helmet size (62). A pair of ventilating lugs on the brow of the helmet also provide the mounting points for the seldom-used detachable frontal armour plate.

The Stahlschutzhelm, or 'Steel Protective Helmet', was widely introduced into German Army service in early 1916, following a series of trials the previous year. It replaced the various types of headdress (caps, pickelhaubes, shakos, etc) previously worn, which offered little or no protection to the wearer from shell splinters or shrapnel balls. The new helmet (known as the Model 1916) was carefully designed to protect the neck and ears of the wearer, while still allowing excellent frontal vision and adequate ventilation. Provision was made for the addition of a detachable frontal armour plate, making the helmet fully resistant to small-arms fire at ranges of 50 m or more. The design was certainly the most effective piece of protective headgear produced by any of the combatants during the war, and the basic shape, with various modifications, remained in production until the end of the Second World War. In 1917, owing to shortages, the leather helmet lining band was altered to one made of sheet metal. Externally, this 'Model 1917' was identical to its predecessor, and it was not until 1918 that modifications were made to the shell itself, a number of helmets (approximately 100,000) being produced with cut-out sections over the ear to improve hearing. Most Model 1918s were externally similar to the earlier design, but the two rivets for the chinstrap lugs, which had been a feature of the outer shell of the Model 1916, were removed. As the detachable chinstrap of the Model 1916 was frequently misplaced, it was replaced by a new two-piece strap with a central steel carbine clip, the attachment points for this new strap being riveted directly to the liner. A multicoloured camouflage finish was introduced in July 1918, in an attempt to disguise the helmet's characteristic silhouette. A system of four colours, separated by finger-width black bands, giving a shadow effect, rendered the helmet much less visible at distances over 50 metres. Most of these helmets were hand painted by their owners.
This forms part of a display on the uniform and equipment of German Storm Troopers (Shock troops), specialist assault soldiers. Storm troopers used infiltration tactics that required close range combat weapons such as hand grenades and pistols. They were first deployed to Verdun in 1916. They gained a reputation during and after the war as elite warriors who would form the basis of Germany's Second World War army.