Early M56 Helmet

[Adravor]

Hello Forum,

Here is my first Post-War helmet. Normally I just collect WW2, but as this helmet is strongly connected to the Wartime German helmets I decided I needed atleast one for my collection.

It’s a early, third year of production piece with a later model chinstrap. Paint and liner are in very neat condition and it looks very good amongst my WW2 helmets.

[AZPhil]

Nice early one,
I like the liner, Reminiscent of their earlier brothers.
Any stamps on the inside?

A great to have to show the progress of the development of the German helm!

Semper Fi
Phil

[Adravor]

Yeah, I like these early liners, searched specifically for one like this as you can do clearly see the WW2 influence.

I don’t wanna remove the Drawstring, so I can’t look under the leather really. Only stamp on the outside is an fainted 57 Size Stamp looking exactly like the WW2 Stamp.

Forgot to add these pics of the markings and Initials inside:

[PotatoDigger]

Nice one, looks little used like the one I have
I mine is a 1960 one but has some sort of reissue paint on it.
I bought mine for the exact same reason as you did yours.
Your liner looks to have nappa leather whereas mine has suede leather, just an interesting observation, but both are pig leather.
First pattern M56 NVA Stahlelm
Looking at my photos I oughtta do a reshoot though, they are pretty horrible haha
Luis

[Watchdog]

Shell stamp seems to be;
II
7
59
Meaning size 2, month July and year 1959.

A good representative example of an early M56.

Regards

Mark

[Pauls1970]

Nice helmet & ditto the above comments, I bought mine for the very same reason DDR NVA M56 Stahlhelm
Regards
Paul

[paulp4180]

Nice addition, I felt you have to have one of these helmets if you collect TR militaria as this is one of the natural conclusions of the German stahlhelm.

[Watchdog]

Nice addition, I felt you have to have one of these helmets if you collect TR militaria as this is one of the natural conclusions of the German stahlhelm.

Haha, be careful as there is more than one clear variation plus this leads to the West German Bundeswehr helmets which by that logic are part of the same timeline and of which there are several variants

I also "only wanted one" but ended up with the three main variants plus finish variations and still don't have the motorcyclist variant but do have one of at least two variants of the plastic parade M56. I now have 9 M56 and 5 Bundeswehr M1 types Don't start on the covers and the fact that I am not really a helmet collector

Regards

Mark

[paulp4180]

Haha, be careful as there is more than one clear variation plus this leads to the West German Bundeswehr helmets which by that logic are part of the same timeline and of which there are several variants

I also "only wanted one" but ended up with the three main variants plus finish variations and still don't have the motorcyclist variant but do have one of at least two variants of the plastic parade M56. I now have 9 M56 and 5 Bundeswehr M1 types Don't start on the covers and the fact that I am not really a helmet collector

Regards

Mark

I know of these pitfalls Mark, I was after just an example of the M56 but also got a BGS one... maybe more M56's are on the way???

[Watchdog]

I know of these pitfalls Mark, I was after just an example of the M56 but also got a BGS one... maybe more M56's are on the way???

Yep, it just grows eh?

I didn't mention BGS as they were not Bundeswehr but their hemets hang from the same "family tree" I suppose. Anyway I dipped a toe in that pond as well and ended up with 5 different BGS lids including the para type

Non-collector folk don't get it. It's not a dirty habit, it's an illness right

Regards

Mark