Germany, m.18 transitional combat helmet

Teaching an old dog new tricks

At the end of the Great War, the Germans had zillions of helmets lying around that were pressed into service for the various post-war paramilitary units, as well as the Reichwehr - the German army of the interwar years.  As Hitler took power and the German violations of the Versailles treaty continued to ramp-up, the Krauts put rearmament into high-gear, including the production of a new combat helmet - the m.35.

But production couldn't keep up with demand, so as an expedient, tens of thousands of m.18 helmets from the previous war were pressed into service with the new m.31 liner installed, with it's ergonomic leather suspension and integral chinstrap.

The use of the "transitional helmet" was widespread in the years prior to the Second World War and then, throughout the war itself.  Although the transitionals were replaced with the m.35, m.40. and m.42 as the years went by, many soldiered on through the whole war, if not with frontline troops, but as a Volkssturm helmet...those were the last-ditch boys and old men who were throwing bricks at the Soviet tanks which were trying to find parking in a smoldering Berlin.

You don't see these often on the trading market, as most of them were melted-down after the war and turned into US college kid's Volkswagens or Rachael Ray's Solingen kitchen knives...  Hey, does this "Holy Smoky!" Red Pozole smell like defeat, or is it just me?

I was very happy to get this helmet recently, as it filled an important gap in my German helmet family - the missing link between the Great War and WWII.  Currently I'm waiting on the delivery of a German m.92, and with that I will have the whole 20th century family, from pickelhaube to composite...sounds like the grist for a book, doesn't it?

This helmet is a welcome addition to the collection and I am very happy to share it with you.

One can determine that this is an m.18 by the lack of a rivet on the side of the skirt, which, in the m.16 and m.17 helmets, fastened the chinstrap lugs inside the skirt.

Here's the "money shot", the thing that made it a transitional helmet.  The m.16, 17, and 18 helmets of the Great War were fitted with the new m.31 liner and pressed into service with the Reichswehr, the SS, and the Wehrmacht while the m.35 was still on the drawing board.

I'm not sure if the Germans actually had "m.18" as official nomenclature.  I've read on the various forums that it is a term assigned by collectors.  I don't know if this is true, but it bears some investigation.

The seller, in a fit of wishful-thinking hinted that he could see the faintest traces of a decal under the thick paint.  Under magnification...  well I'll be, I think he was right.

There is a notable crack in the skirt.  One wonders how it got there.

The helmet has a very thick overpaint of fieldgray.

There are three different sizes of ventilation lugs, depending on the size of the helmet.  This is the small un-stepped version.

This is the rear split-pin, one of three, that secures the liner inside the helmet.  This also shows the coarse, thick, overpaint of fieldgray paint.  The paint is thick enough to completely cover any size or makers markers that appear inside the skirt of the helmet.

The crack in the skirt.

It is quite likely that there are decals beneath this overpaint.  A common mistake among inexperienced collectors is that they go "digging out" the decals.  This makes a mess, damages the helmet, and decreases the monetary value of the helmet...if that's important to you.

The m.31 liner is completely intact, including the original drawstring, though the leather is very dry.

The manufacturer's mark is on the very end of the chinstrap -

 this one is dated 1938.

As with all of these transitionals, the fit of the band to the shell is extremely tight, preventing one from getting a peek at the date of manufacture.

Now for the usual action shots.

This happy hun has not inkling what 1946 is going to look like.

SS creeps at inspection.

Not the sort of face you'd see on a Kraut recruiting poster.

A nice simultaneous-service shot.

Poindexter puzzling over why he couldn't get one of the newer helmets.

From the wealth of photos available, one can see that the transitional was in widespread use in the Reichswehr, the German army and the SS.

Even the m.18 ear cut-out was recycled with the new liner.

Another nice mix of helmets.  Don't worry, Frenchie, every dog will have his day.

I hope you enjoyed this entry, and I'll see you next time with another cool helmet from the collection.

Mannie