The Sun and German Helmets

[Sir Payne]

Earlier today I took some of my helmets outside for pictures. It was about 90 degrees outside with the sun directly overhead. After about 5 minutes I went to pick them up and I found that their steel shells had gotten surprisingly very hot. If they were out there any longer they would have been too hot for me to touch without getting burnt. It got me thinking. How would a soldier in Africa deal with his helmet getting too hot? The temperature would have been much higher in North Africa, so he had to do something.

[Adrian]

It got me thinking. How would a soldier in Africa deal with his helmet getting too hot?

Wear one of these!

[edelweiss123]

Very valid question! It also makes you wonder about the campaigns in Italy, Sicily, Greece and Crete etc....

[bigmacglenn]

This is probably why the cloth caps were so popular...even in photos the men are more likely to be seen wearing their soft-caps and not their Stahlhelm..
cheers, Glenn

[relicz]

Agree, caps were in vogue and sun helmets if available.

Steel helmets also conduct cold in winter quite well.

[FALLSCHIRMJAGER]

This is probably why the cloth caps were so popular...even in photos the men are more likely to be seen wearing their soft-caps and not their Stahlhelm..
cheers, Glenn

A very valid point,also I note that most of the major attacks that I see on old film footage are carried out at night,and with those daytime temperature's who can blame them! I would not fancy being in a tank in 50 degree heat during battle,i would suspect you would really be "bacon"!!! Leon.

[HPL2008]

The trick, Potter, is not minding it hurts.

(But seriously, what the above posters said.)

[Neil Hever]

As a re-enactor I found the steel helmet would heat up badly during sunny days. I took to running some water over it to cool it off or switching to a soft cap when there was no action. They also whistle in the wind and you may find a helmet with paper pasted over the air vents on the inside! I assume a soldier would have done the same thing as me back in the day. It is often what I refer to as the 10% experience we get as re-enactors. From jammed rounds to stuck bolts, iced up canteens and boots stuck in mud, we get a little taste of what it was like to be a Soldat. A hint for iced up canteens - don't tilt it back to drink. The ice forms in the neck and you have to shake it first before taking a swig. If you don't, be prepared to have a half liter of water splash in your face! NH

[CBH]

The color has some effect also , if it was a dark colored helmet , it would get hot quickly . A light sand colored would stay cooler longer . Try to burn a piece of white paper with a magnifying glass , then mark it with a marker .

[Sir Payne]

I had an Austrian helmet, which has tan/brownish paint ,and an reissued M35 in dark green. Both of them were equally hot, but It would be interesting to try out a dark feldgrau helmet or some thick tan camos, and compare them