M16 Camo?

[AzDoug]

I sold all my German helmets a few years ago, and told myself I would stay away from them, but..... I was at the antique fair yesterday, and got too close to this one, and it came home with me. Lightly cleaned off a few years worth of dust and dirt, and came up with this.

[AndyM35]

While the interior looks original and untouched, the exterior camo is harder to judge from these photos. These blurr when I try to enlarge them. Can you please take some closeup hi res images of the paint with better lighting.

Andy

[Wolf]

Hello AzDoug,

I know this feeling. I can't resist a nice steel helmet from World War I either.
Your steel helmet is an M17. The M17 had a steel liner band, while the M16 had a leather liner band. The manufacturer's mark looks like BF64 to me. The BF stands for the manufacturer F.C. Bellinger from Fulda in Germany and the 64 stands for the helmet size. Unfortunately, I can't see a lot mark. Better close-ups of the helmet bowl may help. The ventilation bolts look fine for this model. As Andy said, it's difficult to judge the exterior camo from these pictures. Better pictures would help here. Overall it looks like an original M17, but I doubt that the exterior camo really comes from that time. Maybe other members have more information about the camo.

Best regards
Wolf

[AzDoug]

Thanks, I'll try to get better pics asap. I haven't been able to spot a lot number, but my eyes are getting to the point of needing a lot of help.

[AZPhil]

Not long ago I would have called that an M17,
But,, Thanks to this outstanding site I was informed of my error.
The M17 is the Austrian model while the German model was the M16 with Leather or the latter M16 with steel liner band.

So AZDoug,
As your title suggest, it is an M16.

I can't help with the Camo, I do have a question as I'm not a camo collector.
I thought the lines between colors was finger thick black lines.

Did they use white between colors?

Semper Fi
Phil

[AndyM35]

Agree with you Phil. It was only recently that I too was advised the same, so also now refer to them as an M16 with a steel M17 liner. The shell is exactly the same, just an updated liner band. Ludwig Baer makes this distinction in his book, The History of the German Steel Helmet 1916-1945.

Regarding the camo, the more you look into WW1 German Camo helmets you realise that a lot of soldiers did not follow the general directive of the black finger width dividing line or using the correct amount of panels forward facing or indeed colour. That’s why I’m keeping an open mind with this one until more hi res images are provided. As an example, see the original camo below which has obviously departed the directive quite notably, but still an original. Also below that, the original directive for those that have not seen it.
Andy


In July of 1918 a directive came down from Chief of General Staff Ludendorff which called for helmets to be painted with a camouflage pattern. The directive reads as follows:
Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army
II. No. 91 366
7 July 1918
Through a purposeful, variegated surface paint on cannons, mortars, machine guns, steel helmets, etc., these devices may be much more easily hidden from view than before.
The authorized trials have produced the following results:
1. Steel helmets:
A painted surface with one color (e.g. green or light brown) or with small splotches of a variety of colors is superior to a standard single color helmet, although it still allows the recognition of the characteristic form and silhouette.
In this regard, a three-colored surface which has had the borders blended, simulating a shadow effect is not recognizable beyond a distance of 60 meters.
Particulars regarding a useful surface: Dull colors – the helmet must not shine. Sprinkling the still-damp oil paint with fine sand stops the surface from glistening in the sun.
The choice of colors is to be purposely changed according to the time of year. One of the three colors must match the basic color found in the region of fighting.
Suitable at this time: green, yellow ochre, rust brown
Separation of the surface of the helmet into equal-sized portions, consisting of large, sharp-cornered patches.
Support – On the front side of the helmet, no more than four colored fields must be visible. Light and dark colors are to be placed next to each other. The colored segments are to be sharply separated from each other by a finger-wide black stripe.
Necessary coloring materials for 1000 helmets: 5 kilograms each of ochre, green and brown; 2 kilograms of black.
After ongoing scientific testing, I have requested the War Ministry to regulate the appropriate seasonal color scheme. Until that point, I request that painting be carried out in the above-mentioned manner.
(signed) Ludendorff
To:
all Army Groups (5 each)
all Army High Commands (20 each)
Inspector General of Artillery Schools
General of Pioneers attached to General Headquarters
Commanding General of the Air Forces
Army Mortar School
Commander of the Gas Troops
M.SS Command Rozoy
General Staff Course Sedan
Field Artillery and Foot Artillery Practice Grounds
Chief of Field Transportation
Offices la, Ic, B, Munitions. Z, P, F, Illb (3 each)

[AZPhil]

Thank you Andy for the additional directive information.

That Helm you posted had to have some eye brows raised when they saw this work of art.

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when this guy fell out in formation to have their Helm camo painting inspected.

The DOT pattern in the making prior to its use in the next war of wars.

Semper Fi
Phil

[AndyM35]

Phil, here’s one I have that had a non-regulation camo applied and was then painted over with a more regular design. Some of the panels still show the yellow swirl design and if you look closely you can see some of the brush strokes below the latter camo. Perhaps the original owner got a dressing down or the terrain where the fighting took place changed!?
Andy

[AndyM35]

Doug, it’s a BF shell having been manufactured by F.C.Bellinger in Fulda. BF only made 62’s and 64’s during WW1. Regarding a ‘lot’ number, there should be a heating lot code inside the dome which will indicate where the steel was milled. Sometimes these can be hard to see as the helmet dome can be filled with dust and crud, but it should definitely be there.

Hope this information helps.
Andy

[AzDoug]

I hope these pics are better