This was a fun entry to do; not only do we have a cool helmet to look at but we have an interview with a veteran of the West German army who actually wore one.
The end of WWII found Germany divided into two halves with the Soviets controlling the East and the Allies controlling the West. As the years passed and West Germany - the Federal Republic of Germany - found its footing, it was time for them to reconstitute an army. By this time, post-war Germany, like post-war Japan - rejected the militarism that had left their countries smoldering piles of rubble.
Germany (like Japan) and other nations allied with the West opted to use surplus M1 helmets initially, and then eventually manufacture their own helmets - usually in the style of the M1.
The German m.62/85 from the outside, closely resembles the American M1, but the interior suspension and chinstrap were distinctly different, and some might argue, better than the M1.
Let's take a walk-around of the final step in the evolution of the German steel helmet, the m.62/85.
This is a handsome helmet, and though it is resembles, very closely, the venerable M1, I would not call it a Euroclone, as it doesn't have the removable liner, as does the M1
After the war, most of the West-aligned nations adopted either surplus M1s, domestically-produced M1 clones, or in this instance, helmets that closely resembled the M1.
This is Bundeswehr soldier, Harald Jazdziewski sporting the m.62/85 in 1993.
Like all things German, this helmet is very well engineered and made of high-quality materials. As steel helmets go, this one is, in my opinion, of exceptional quality.
Another photo of Harald standing in formation. (note the plastic ammunition pouches, mentioned later on)
The three-point yoke-strap makes for superior stability compared to the chinstrap of the American M1.
The chinstrap has two closure loops, one is open for use in combat, to avoid neck injuries (see previous post) and the other is closed for wearing in vehicles or for hanging from the belt.
Just as with the American M1 during WWII, an official circular was distributed among German troops advising them to not use the closed loop in combat situations:
There were several situations outlined in the circular stating the potential danger if the closed loop were deployed in combat:
Blast forces: If an explosion violently displaced the helmet, a releasing chinstrap could reduce the force transmitted to the soldier's neck.
Snagging: If the helmet caught on an obstruction, the chinstrap could release rather than exert dangerous pressure against the throat.
Combat circumstances: The closed loop offered more secure retention when losing the helmet presented a greater danger than having it pulled away.
The manufacturer's 1985 leaflet explicitly describes the open loop as permitting automatic opening and says the choice of fastening method depended on military use and environmental conditions.
Here: Harald deploys the closed loop when suspending the helmet from his belt.
All of the hardware is particularly robust.
The surface finish is non-reflective. I suspect that the texture is achieved with sawdust as is the case with the M1 of the Second World War.
The buckles and tab-end are made of brass.
The suspension is affixed to the shell by a very stout rivet.
The leather looks nearly identical to the German m.35 family of helmets from the Second World War.
There is a plastic nape-insert that keeps the helmet in place while firing in the prone position.
The liner is adjustable.
Beginning collectors take note: These ventilation holes at the forehead differentiate between the leather of a WWII liner and a post-war liner. Sometimes, unscrupulous dealers will put this post-war leather in a war-time shell and try to pass it off as a legitimate WWII helmet.
“PSL85” identifies the maker and year of manufacture:
- PSL = Paul Schulze, Lübeck, the manufacturer.
- 85 = 1985, the year the steel shell was manufactured
What follows is an interview that I did With Harald Jazdziewski, a professor at a western Maryland college. He was an enlisted man in the Bundeswehr during the Cold War, and he had some great reflections on the m.62/85 that he wore throughout his service.
1. Harald, tell my readers a little bit about yourself.
I am a German citizen, living in the US for about 20 years now. After an apprenticeship and working as an HCAV mechanic, I moved to the US in 2004, and have been working in IT-related positions and started to attend a community college for an associate's degree in network engineering, followed by a bachelors, and a couple graduate degrees. For the last seven or eight years. I have been teaching information technology classes, but my areas of expertise are digital forensics and cybersecurity. My passion, however, is history.
2. How did you come to be in the Bundeswehr?
Well, pretty much like most back then, I got drafted. Germany had conscription until the law (Wehrpflichtgesetz) was suspended in 2011. I reported for duty on July 2nd 1993 and was discharged on June30th 1994. The length of service has been steadily reduced, even before I was drafted. My father, for example, who served in the early 1970s had to serve for 24 months. By the early 2000s the time was reduced to nine months, and finally down to six in January 2011, just before the mandatory draft was suspended.
3. What was your role in the Bundeswehr; what kind of training did you have?
I started as light infantry, also known as a Jagd Infanterie. After running my mouth a bit too much, which usually is in most cases not a good thing, I was made assistant group leader and firearms instructor for the platoon. After basic I was transferred to the HQ company of an Engineers Brigade and became a communications technician and driver for the remainder of my time.
4. What was the role of the Bundeswehr when you were in?
Traditionally, the role of the Bundeswehr was federal defense, or defense of the country. In the mid '90s the Bundeswehr had its first major deployment outside of Germany's borders, as part of UNSOM II from 1993 to 1994. After the Berlin wall fell and the Warsaw Pact was dissolved, the mission of the Bundeswehr did not change significantly. There was change in the overall defense straegy, but the main focus then was still towards the East, and Russia.
5. What was the tension like when the Soviet Union was the primary threat?
From a tension point of view, our main antagonist was East Germany, or the German Democratic Republic, as it borders directly West Germany and of course there was the split Berlin, which was split into East Berlin and West Berlin. The issues we faced were more of a political, sociological, and economic nature than military. Intelligence operations between the two Germanies were fairly common, even without the involvement of the four sector (American, British, French, and Soviet) forces and governments.
6. What was the quality of your equipment; were the troops satisfied with it?
Overall, I would say so. Munitions for live fire exercises were limited. But the biggest complaint was probably our Koppeltragegestell, or the German Version of the ALICE webbing. During my time, it was more used to help spread the load for the magazine pouches, which when fully loaded, were fairly heavy and unyielding pieces of plastic.
7. What were your experiences with your m.62/85 helmet?
The helmet itself, while somewhat cool looking, was heavy and tiresome to wear. The helmet's internal leather webbing was pretty tight and tiresome to wear. In the summer heat it was especially bad as it did not allow for enough circulation and, at least for me, caused overheating and bad headaches and migraines.
8. What were the strengths of the helmet?
Well, it was made of steel, so it could be assumed it would offer at least some kind of protection from shrapnel. However, flak vests, body armor and the Kevlar helmets entered service not too long after I was discharged.
9. What were the weaknesses of the helmet?
The biggest drawback in my opinion would be the weight. It also did not cover the ears, like later helmets.
10. How confident were you about the protection that your helmet could afford you?
Not very confident, to be honest. It was supposed to protect from shrapnel, not bullets.
11. Were there any sort of camouflage augmentations used with the helmet - covers, nets, etc - and what were they?
We had nets or webbing that we would use to attach grass, branches and other natural camouflage enhancer to break up the outlines and forms of the head and body.
12. What was one improvement that you would like to have seen with the m.62/85 helmet?
When I was in the Bundeswehr, the Americans already had their PASGT helmet for about ten years. We really would have loved to get our hands on those.
13. Do you have any final remarks?
I appreciate the opportunity to sit down and answer your questions and help with your project.
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As Harald was examining the helmet featured in this post, he had a couple of pithy comments - "It was a pain in the ass to wear." And when he examined the three-point chinstrap, he remarked - "This was a real pain in the ass to adjust." His parting comment to me was: "And it was hot as shit in the summer."
Many thanks to professor Jazdziewski for taking the time to provide this inside information.
See you next time with another cool helmet from the collection.
Mannie
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